


Utúlie'n aurë!

by navvy



Series: Utúlie´n aure! Aiya Eldalie ar Atanatári, utúlie´n aure [1]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Disguise, F/M, Inspired by Music, M/M, Second Age
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-12 14:57:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20566262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navvy/pseuds/navvy
Summary: Glorfindel, grand-daughter of kings, had already given her life for Gondolin. In her opinion, this second life was hers to live as she wanted. If the Valar wanted something else from her they should have made it clear when they dropped her on the coast of Eriador with nary a word and only the clothes on her back (very unpractical ones by the way).The Valar, however, are limited on the help they can give to Middle Earth (free will and all that), and the people of the eastern shore will need as much help as they can get. They are in the eye of the hurricane, although from the outside, things seem to be looking up after Morgoth final defeat, and Gil-galad reign is strong, soon Sauron will raise as the new force of evil in Middle Earth and everyone will need to be prepared.





	1. The stage is set

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Even Quicker Than Doubt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/385554) by [keiliss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/keiliss/pseuds/keiliss). 
**Notes for the Chapter:**

> betaed by books4life16

Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor on Middle Earth, clapped politely while taking a look around at his dinner companions. The last performance didn't seem to have gotten an enthusiastic response from the audience, and everybody was taking advantage of the intermission to gossip around with their table neighbours. This was one of those 'seemed like a good idea at the time' plans, a bit of a gamble on Gil-galad’s part that wasn't paying off as well as he expected.  
Taking advantage of the anonymity allowed by the low lights of the dining room turned to theatre, he took a look down the table to his charges, the Peredhil twins, sons of the Mariner Eärendil and Elwing, princess of Doriath, and his far cousins. Gil-galad had taken charge of them at the end of the War of the Wrath, when Maglor had sent them in secret to the High King for protection once it became obvious that the end of his and his brother’s Oath was near.

Gil-galad looked first to the oldest twin Elros, which was the main point for this venture. He was surrounded by the future lords of Numenor, hand-picked by Eönwë and Gil-galad, counsellors from the main houses which would emigrate to the island. To someone who didn't know him, he looked interested and engaged in both the play and his companions and seemed to be having a good time with both. Gil-galad was not a casual observer, but even he was hard-pressed to figure out how the half-elf was feeling about the evening festivities.  
Looking to his other side, where the younger lords of his Court were seated, the King found his heir-apparent, and Elros brother, Elrond. He was also watching his brother but when he caught the eye of the King, he shrugged his shoulders minutely, clearly at a loss or unwilling to share what his twin may be feeling, and after that he turned his attention again to his companions.  
While the King was distracted, the next act was being prepared in the scenery, some kind of forest scene was being created by the new group of performers. Gil-galad wasn't expecting a lot from this new play, the official objective for this festival was to honour the arrival of the soon-to-be Men of Numenor. The unofficial goal for the King was to try to help his cousins in their future parting. However, so far, the only thing accomplished seemed to be reinforcing of the differences between both races, the Men were polite and restrained but it was clear that they found the elvish plays boring.  
A group of servants went through the tables dimming the lights for the next act, the stage was a beautiful forest scene. Someone had taken a lot of time to plan this display, the background was made by a few mobile pictures displaying a dense forest, a group of fake tree trunks were set around and someone has set some stools disguised as boulders for some still-unknown purpose. The audience started to quiet down, the play was going to start.

* * *

Faelyn was feeling nervous, while he belonged to a family of performers, their usual scene was the small festivals on the lower town and the celebrations in the coastal communities. This was the first time that he and his family would perform in front of royalty, much less the High King of the Noldor, his Court, and the future Númenóreans... he stopped that line of thought before he turned right around to escape through some window. How he got into this mess he wasn't sure but it was probably Gwedhil and Arya's fault, the two of them were thick as thieves and prone to find problems anywhere and anytime, to keep them out of them was a full-time job, and he had yet to find someone capable of keeping them in line.  
Gwedhil was his little sister, she had taken after their shared Sylvan ancestry with her dark eyes and brown-red hair, long and braided as it was the elvish style. She was slim and a bit on the short side for an elf, and she has been the main dancer on the group since she was old enough to start into the family business.

When Arya came into their lives, 5 years ago, washed over the shore of Craydon, a small coastal town, it would have been easy for her to resent Arya, used to be the main star on the show. Against all odds, as it would become their habit, they were best friends. Faelyn got the impression that Arya had, in her past, become used to mediating between difficult temperaments, so to avoid a bit of jealousy from an usually-kind girl was not a difficult task for her. Thinking of the other guilty party for this situation (and yes, he had decided it was their fault), he looked around for her, and there she was on the back of the room getting her violin ready, although most of the elves were used to the harp, for their next act the violin was a better fit, a more modern instrument than some elves prefered, but it fit the music they were playing better and it was easier to carry (assuredly former King Fingon would have taken a violin to Thangorodrim if only it was available at the time). Arya noticed his attention and, finished with her fine-tuning of the violin, came closer to him.  
"Is everything prepared?" Arya asked giving a cursory look around to the rest of the group, not worried about anything being wrong as Faelyn would look much more panicked in that case.  
"The stage is set and everybody is ready to go, we are only waiting for the servants to finish lowering the lights on the tables" he answered.  
"Good, I will tell the girls to take their positions and wait for your signal," the blonde said and went to the other dancers, Gwedhil among them, to send them to their places while she went near to her entrance.

* * *

After sending the other dancers into their positions, Arya went to her assigned entrance. Although she looked calm, the truth was that she was much more panicked than any of the others, after all, she was the one who was pretending to be someone she wasn't, or at least trying to keep her past a secret. In her experience, royalty and those who serve them didn't like people lying about their identities.  
In her performance makeup and clothes, Arya didn't look like her past self. She had put on a white-blond wig with a horned headset, disguising her blonde hair, her face and body make up made her features blurred, and she was wearing a beautiful flowing dress with several risky cuts for easy movement. The only thing she couldn't change was her eyes, blue-grey eyes with a strange light, the light of one who had seen the Trees. However, the lights were low and she hoped that anyone who saw her eyes would take any glow from them as a trick from the candles. On the whole, she didn't think anyone would have any reason to think that the troubadour was someone of relevance, so she didn't expect any problems, they would perform their act and go on to their next festival after being paid the money they need to keep their caravan up and running.  
The silence on the outer room was absolute, and Faelyn gave them their signal to start, a kick of the drums, the show was starting.


	2. The play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
The whole staging was meticulously made to honour the history of the Elves who didn't cross the sea into Aman, but stayed on Middle Earth, the Avari who would become the Moriquendi. It was a risky piece to perform in the Noldor High King Court, and Gil-galad could only admire their grit  

> 
> Arya and her group represent _Rain Nórë_ -free land- for the king and his court. They are going to be a breath of fresh air into the Lindon Palace, and it will be difficult to avoid notice now they have come here. Some people are not made to stay behind the curtain 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> betaed by books4life16

A sense of anticipation was felt in the room, the setting of this new act looked very different from the previous, and it promised to be something original, or at least that was what Elrond was expecting. This new group, calling themselves "Lain Cýrawn" (The free wanderers), belonged to one of the wandering caravans. These troops were a mismatch of beings, that join together for security, and every race created and played their acts as entertainment and revenue: dancing, music, acrobatics, and even small street markets. Everyone shared the responsibilities of security and maintenance of the whole caravan and there was a representative for each race to make the decisions and lead every group. They went through the Kingdom playing their spectacles in the towns. Erestor had seen them play a few months ago and he proposed them to the Master of ceremonies, Lord Rhanaer, for this celebration.

Erestor was a bit of a mystery, his parents lived on Nargothrond and joined the Wandering Companies after its fall. Gildor had vouched for him to the King, and he had shown himself skilled and ambitious. Gil-galad had given him the chance to prove himself by appointing him as one of his assistants. He used his experience with the Companies to advise the King in the defence of the realm and, as he was just a junior assistant, he was sent around to check on the towns and its defences, which suit him pretty well, he didn't like to stay in a place for too long.  
Lord Rhanaer on the other hand, was a senior councillor and a bit of a traditionalist, a Noldor lord from the Court of King Finrod. So, when a very junior assistant proposed to ask a wandering caravan to play in the King’s presence, his answer wasn't precisely positive. He didn't want to bring such a rustic act to the King’s party. Fortunately, Gil-galad happened to be around and heard about it. He was charmed by the freshness of it, and he was tired of the usual courtly acts. A still young King constrained by the traditions, he was trying to bring his more modern vision to the Lindon Court, so by royal decree, the group was asked to play this evening.

The sound of the drums broke the silence on the dining room and Elrond turned his attention to the front of the room, immediately four _elleth_ came into the stage from the entrances on both sides and placed themselves in the back. Dark-haired, ranging from black to brown-red, they had their hair loosely braided down their back with most of it left free. They were dressed in greens and browns, combining short dresses with light brown leather armour. The full effect was eye-catching and seemed to call to mind the Avari warriors of old.  
Another elf entered from the back of the scene. This one looked different to the others: white-blond long hair, a horned crest on her head, and a daring flowing grey dress cut at the sides and front to allow movement. She was tall, taller than her companions, and although as heavily made up as them, there was something with her height and her form that called to mind a very different heritage than Sylvan or Sinda. Elrond wasn't able to put his finger on it, but it struck his fancy. 

The half-elf could see that she had a violin in her hands and after taking her place in the centre of the stage, she put the bow to the strings and waiting but a moment for effect, before started the music. The beautiful sound of the violin made the audience hold their breath, but what came next almost made them jump out of their seats. After the first few seconds of the music, the stage explode into motion, not only from the four dancers but from the violinist who started to both play and dance with her companions, in an amazing show of dexterity and ability which took Elrond's, and the rest of the audience’s breath away. They were dancing around to the sound of the music using the aids on the stage, such as the stools disguised as rocks, and making spectacular jumps around the scene and each other, the effect was incredible and the audience was delighted. 

All around him, both the elves and the Men seemed to have found at least something in common, their enjoyment of this song, and they watched admiringly until the end. Once finished, one of the Men, Lord Cyriatur, rumoured to be the future Numenor's first Naval commander, jumped to his feet and started to clap heatedly, followed by many of his companions. More restricted in their expressions, nonetheless, the elf side of the rooms also started to applaud with enthusiasm.

* * *

Gil-galad applauded with the others, the performance had been amazing and he wasn't surprised that it had called enough of his young assistant’s attention that he would remember it months after. The choreography and the music were as different to the current Court fashion as day to night, and he was pretty sure that they would be the talk of the nobles for many weeks. Gil-galad thought that he recognized the Avari influence in the clothes, they were made for the play and customized for maximum impact, but they drew from the light and practical clothes used by the Avari warriors back in the First Age, before the Noldor came to Middle Earth, and most importantly, before the influence of the Doriath Court with their Maia queen. The whole staging was meticulously made to honour the history of the Elves who didn't cross the sea into Aman, but stayed on Middle Earth, the Avari who would become the Moriquendi. It was a risky piece to perform in the Noldor High King Court, and Gil-galad could only admire their grit. 

The King had found the performance very compelling, particularly the mix of playing and dancing, and the incredible agility of the five dancers. Notably, the violin player who, despite the makeup, couldn't hide her singular looks and beauty, and was very different from the other dancers. During the song, she moved with a mix of dancer and fighter, and there was an energy to her that had attracted the King’s attention from the moment she stepped out on the dais. He couldn't look away during the act, and he was keeping her in his line of sight ever since the show ended.

While everyone was returning to their seats, and the group on the stage was getting ready to leave, the King made a signal to his attendant, Thallan, who came immediately to his lord’s side.

"Thallan, I wish to talk to them, ask them to come closer" asked the King.

"Yes, Sire " he answered and went to talk to the group who were looking in their direction restlessly. 

"His Majesty wishes for you to come closer to speak to you," Thallan said to the group, looking around for their spokesman or a visible leader. 

They looked around at each other, but all the heads ended up looking between Arya and Faelyn, who had abandoned the drums and came to the front when the clapping started. Gwedhil came to his brother and best friend's sides and the three of them seemed to agree with a few hasty words.

"Of course, we are at his Majesty service sir" Faelyn answered, acting as the spokesman for the group. The group formed a line and got down from the stage to the head of the dining table where the King was seated. A current of nervousness went through the group while they got situated opposite to the King, and form a line there, with Faelyn a step at the front of his fellow elves. Once in position, they bowed to the monarch and stayed there with their eyes low to the floor, waiting for the King pleasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the next chapter, it's getting closer for Arya meeting with the King and his close companions, and now I'm starting to understand why it's so hard to get to those scenes!!  
Thank you again, keiliss for not only being a wonderful writer but a very kind person.


	3. First impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
The king was, at last, able to see her clearly. Despite the stage makeup, she was stunning. What was unexpected, now he was able to see her eyes clearly, was that they had a familiar shine. She had bright blue eyes with a light that Gil-galad had seen only on those who had seen the Light of the Trees, like his father Fingon or his cousin Galadriel.  

> 
> Face to face, it is quite difficult for Arya to stay in the background, but she does her foremost to stick to the plan: No heroisms and no noble gestures. That would be easier if kings wouldn't keep getting interested in her. She should have accepted that fisher-elf offer and became a kept elleth 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> betaed by books4life16

Keeping her eyes on the floor while bowing her head, Arya was still feeling the thrill of the performance. Stopping in front of the King, she was surrounded by her surrogate family, Gwedhil and Glinnel, another of the main dancers, at every side and Faelyn to the front. The last one was consciously or unconsciously (she wasn't sure) shielding her from the direct view of the high table. That thoughtless protection brought a lot of memories to the Aman-born _elleth_. Although she didn't have any brothers, in her family, she was one of the few females amid a whole army of males, she had 15 male cousins (13 of them from, her mother’s side). Even her Fëanorian half-cousins, for all their faults, were protective of her and their other female cousins. 

Oh yes, that little tidbit about her Royal blood and her position among the High King’s House was something she would keep under wraps as long as possible, she didn't have any interest in getting involved again in the royal squabbles. She was pretty sure that, even if she were to declare her true name, most people wouldn't be aware of her heritage as the only child of Lalwën, third daughter of Finwë. 

Her mother’s marriage had been a very discreet affair because of his father’s hatred of the spotlight, even if he was also of royal blood, as a grandson of Ingwë. He was a fairly good engineer and was fond of travelling, designing structures to improve people’s lives, such as roads and canals. So her mother choose a discrete life, going to live with her husband’s kind at the Taniquetil, and travelling with him when she could. With all the drama the other side of her family enact every other week, by the time Glorfindel, (or _Laurefindil_ as she was called at the time) was born, almost no one paid any attention to her existence except for her family.

When she and her mother had crossed into Middle Earth, she allied herself with her uncle Nolofinwë house. Her mother, crushed after losing her husband in the ice, went to Thingol's Court. Arya lost almost all contact with her after that, it was like she wanted to forget every one of her former life's bonds. She wasn't even sure if she was still alive on Middle Earth or if she had chosen to go back to Aman after the War. It was even possible that she had died at one of the attacks on Thingol's realm by both the dwarves and Fëanor's sons.  
As for Arya, as she had chosen to call herself now, she was never interested in the crown or the politics involved. She only wanted to explore this new world, meet new people and races such as their Avari kind. So she kept out of her uncle and cousins' battles, and out of the public sight working first as a scout when they first arrived, and later as an architect when they started to build the Noldor realms. 

When her cousin asked her to join him in his new enterprise, the realm of Gondolin, she didn't realize that she would be signing away her freedom for the foreseeable future. She thought at the time, that she would help to build the city and move on as she had done at other cities. By the time she realized that _Turukáno_had no intention to risk the security of his Kingdom by allowing her or any others to leave it, it was far too late. As an apology for having co-opted her without her full consent, _Turukáno_had broken convention and given her the lordship for the house of the Golden Flower. That bit of diplomacy made for a few unusual situations when people expected her to be male. As far as she was able to infer, some of the tales told after the fall of her city decrypted her as a male, particularly those told by the race of Men. It was true that her people were surprised, and there was a certain amount of resistance from some quarters when she was named Lord of Gondolin, but in the end, the situation was accepted. However, for some of the Men, It was like they couldn't conceive a female as a leader and a warrior, and they started to swap her gender when telling the tale. She would bet that, without elvish influence, she would become male in the race of Man’s tales within a few centuries.

While all this was going through Arya's head, the King congratulated them for their performance. Arya forced herself to pay attention to his words:

"That was an incredible performance, I do not think anything like that has been played at the Lindon's Court before, how did you come up with the idea of mixing playing and dancing?" Gil-galad asked

"We started to think about it after hearing some tales from the First Age, your Majesty. The tale of Beren and Lúthien, and how the princess was able to use music to fight the dark lord. That was a compelling image, but it was done to death by many accomplished companies. So we were told then that many of the warriors of old went singing and playing small instruments into battle, and that some of our better Bards were able to turn the tide of a fight with their music" Faelyn explained, after a few false starts caused by the fright of talking to royalty.  
"This is Faelyn, son of Aegloss, sire" introduced Thallan to the King.

Gil-galad nodded to the introduction and keep questioning the group, trying to engage them, particularly the violinist. 

"And who choose the costumes? They were familiar somehow" inquired the King looking around the group, trying to make eye-contact with the violin player. She was, despite his sincere interest in the group and the act as a whole, the main point to having called them to his presence. - "I found your attire particularly striking my lady. And I am greatly impressed that you were able to play while dancing like that. Did you choreograph the dance yourself?"- the King asked the violin player directly, trying to make her look him in the face.  
Questioned directly, Arya had no choice but to look up and answer:

"Thank you, Sire" - she answered, while finally looking at the King -"Faelyn and I made the choreography to start, but it was a group effort to put it into the act and make the changes as we found what worked and didn't" she continued. The King was, at last, able to see her clearly. Despite the stage makeup, she was stunning. That didn't surprise him, he had seen hints of her beauty throughout the play. What was unexpected, now he was able to see her eyes clearly, was that they had a familiar shine. She had bright blue eyes with a light that Gil-galad had seen only on those who had seen the Light of the Trees, like his father Fingon or his cousin Galadriel. Before he was able to keep questioning her, now even more intrigued than before, one of the other dancers started to talk.

"And my parents and I choose and made the costumes, your Majesty. We designed them in the fashion of the Avari warriors of the First Age" said Gwedhil shyly, trying to divert the attention off her friend. Although Gwedhil found the Noldor High King young and charming, she knew that her friend had planned to keep out of the spotlight.  
"Your parents? Is this a family tradition?" asked Gil-galad, momentary diverted away from the mysterious violin player.

"Oh yes, your Highness, I mean Sire. " - Gwedhil corrected herself, almost tripping with her own words as was common for her when she was getting enthusiastic about a matter close to her heart - "Almost all our family is involved somehow with this caravan or others, I mean, our cousin went and got married last _yén_ to the harp singer of the caravan of 'The starlight', it was a bit of a scandal as you can imagine"- conclude the _elleth_, leaving the King a bit lost, only capable of assent, not sure if it was the right answer or not.  
"These are Arya and Gwedhil Sire, my sisters. "- Faelyn hurried to intervene before her sister started to tell the whole Court of Lindon their family’s dirty laundry -"Our family has been working as artists for a long time, but only after the end of the war we were able to create our own caravan and form a company. As it is, we had to join with other people for protection, we even have some dwarves and Men among us"

This was of great interest for the King. First, to know the family connection with this mystery _elleth_, because it gave him a starting point to figure out about her (although he would eat his own crown if there was any blood ties between Arya and the other two siblings, even with the costumes and makeup it was clear that they descended from different elven clans). Secondly, he was interested in the matter of the mixed caravan. That was because he wished to improve the collaboration among the Free Races, so they were able to avoid the mistakes of the past where the Enemy took advantage of the distrust between them to his wicked designs, his father death being foremost in his mind.  
Divided between these two purposes, he tried to accomplish both goals at once:

"This is very interesting, I would like to hear more about this caravan of yours, and how you can work out the differences between everyone. I wish to invite you all to dinner with me after the festival, if you would accept my offer. Your parents, of course, are also welcomed if they are here" inquired Gil-galad.

Some of his Court lords and ladies, seemed to be taken aback for this proposal, some looked ready to protest. For their part, the company appeared to feel a bit overwhelmed by the invitation, after interchange a few looks between the three so-called siblings Arya, who was more used to royalty (and their orders sugar-coated as requests and suggestions) finally answer for all of them.

"Your Majesty, you are very kind with your invitation, of course we would be happy to accept and share our experiences of the caravan. However, we are a very provincial people" - at that, she took a look down at the table, Gil-galad took note that she especially looked towards the zone where Lord Rhanaer was seated -" and we wouldn't want to offend you or any of your Court with our plain clothes and ways. I'm afraid that we don't have any attire to attend a royal dinner and would make poor guests. We would be happy to relay our experience to anyone you feel appropriate"- she concluded her response.

Gil-galad took a look around his Court, allowing himself to show a bit of the displeasure he was starting to feel. He was aware that Arya was, in part, trying to escape his notice by distracting him. That bit of misdirection talked of someone accustomed to pandering to royalty by saying no without seeming like they did, and giving an out to the other party without them losing face. Gil-galad would be much more impressed by it, if it wasn’t playing against his own interests. However, he had noticed some of his lords and ladies reactions to the conversation, and was unpleasantly surprised by their snobbery. Before he was able to do something about it, Elrond insert himself in the conversation:

"I'm sure anything you have will look lovely on you, my lady"- said the half-elf gallantly -"The King does not care about that and he is interested in understanding everyone in his Kingdom. For my part, I would also love to know more about your family and the caravan's way of life. Please, I would be happy to be your escort in the palace"- conclude the _perendhil_.

Arya seemed to doubt for a moment. Looking at _Itarillë's_ descendant, she found to her amazement that she was curious about him and his brothers' lives. She had heard some things about what happened to them, about her cousins' actions on the Havens of Sirion and after, had wondered if she could learn more about _Itarillë_ and her friend Tuor's fate and that of their family after her death on the pass.

Seeming to sense her hesitation, even if he didn't know the reasons for it, Elrond pressed his advantage:

"I would love to give you a tour of the palace and hear about your life in the caravan, after that we could go collect your family and I would escort you all to dinner, I can assure you, anyone tempted to be unkind to you or your family would have me to deal with"- Elrond concluded.

"And with me as wel "- added the King severely.

The King was divided about how to feel about this last event, on the one hand if Arya accepted Elrond's offer, it would mean that she would go to the dinner and he would have the chance to talk her there, also Elrond could learn more about her in a more informal environment. On the other hand, Gil-galad didn't know what the half-elf intentions were, if he was doing this because he noticed Gil-galad's interest or because he was himself interested. 

In the meantime, Faelyn and Gwedhil were looKing to Arya, trying to figure out if they should intercede and in what way, while they didn't know Arya's true identity or much about her past, they knew that she had a difficult life and that she had wanted to keep far away from further fights. Without a clear signal of their friend, they didn't dare to meddle among such important lords.

Arya, still not fully convinced, tried a paltry argument:

"My lord, I'm sure that your time is fully engaged with your duties, I would not want to encroach on it. Besides, I assure you, as grateful I am for your offer, that if I were to attend this dinner, I can defend myself if necessary from any unkindness sent my way"- argued back the blonde. Without her noticing, the further she talked with the King and his heir-apparent, the more her speech turned formal as she had assumed in the past with other Kings.

Gil-galad decided to take back control of the argument:

"My lady, my cousin is right, it is very important to me to know about the wellbeing of my people and I am very interested in a lifestyle so different, such as the one of your company. You would do me a great favour if you consented to sharing your experiences with me. I will release Elrond of his official duties for tomorrow, and his studies, so he can show you around. And I will make sure that everyone at the dinner is aware of how much I value every one of the subjects in my Kingdom and that I want them to be shown the appropriate respect"- said the King, deciding that he would have a word with his cousin to check what was his intentions towards the violinist were .

"Your Majesty, you are very generous. You make it impossible for me to refuse"- said Arya with some irony -"I would love to attend your dinner, and I will bring my family with me" - Arya continued after an affirmative nod of both of her friends -"And I will enjoy the tour for the palace Lord Elrond, if your offer is still open"

"Of course, my lady. I will pick you up tomorrow at first light if it suits you"- Elrond answer back.

"It sounds fine to me, thank you"- said Arya

With that, the King decided to conclude the conversation while it seemed that he got what he wished (more or less):

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your efforts this evening. I am sure that we will enjoy seeing more of you in the future. And I will enjoy to see you three tomorrow at the feast next to you parents, Thallan will give you the details. I hope my lady"- looking to Arya now -"that I will also have the opportunity to talk to you after Elrond has given you the tour" - Arya nodded noncommittally. 

With that dismissal, the company bowed again and left the room towards the exit, following Thallan's lead.

The King, on his part, made a discrete gesture toward his cousin to indicate him that he wanted to see at his earliest convenience, and with that, the King turned back to his dinner companions, waiting impatiently for the evening conclusion. He had much to think about and a cousin to interrogate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arya: means excelling, excelling, *better. I also liked the name but I think that it fits for someone who wanted to make a better show this time around :)  
elleth: she-elf  
yen: a period of a year


	4. Fishing for information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
Tall and blonde with grey-blue eyes, with a slim but strong body, Arya was the ideal Vanyarin beauty. At least, as far as Faelyn could tell from the stories told to them from the West. He had to admit that he never saw a Vanya elf or _elleth_ before, even the Lady Galadriel was only a faraway tale for him.  

> 
> Their well-deserved rest is still far away for Arya and her foster siblings, first they need to deal with the caravan leaders, and their parents who happened to be the elf camp leaders. So, it would be a long night. Arya would sooner tack another Balrog. 

Arya took a look to the young Noldor leading them out the Palace grounds. He looked terribly young in her eyes. Tall and with dark hair, the only deviation from the Noldor typical looks were his kind brown eyes. Arya was trying to find some way to figure out what to expect from the High King, now that it was clear that she couldn't avoid him forever. So she decided to try small talk with this young elf to test the waters:  
  
"You look a bit young to be the King's aide, Thallan, if you don't mind the observation"- Arya started the conversation.  
  
Thallan, also curious about the violinist, answered back carefully:  
  
"Well, I am forty, my family served King Fingon and King Gil-galad took me in when they decided to go to Aman after the War"- reveal the attendant naturally.  
  
"I am sure that the King is fortunate to have someone like you working for him"- flirted Glinnel brashly, the _elleth_ was friendly and outspoken and had taken a liking to the shy attendant. Both Noldor and Sinda, she was tall and dark-haired, with classical Noldor grey eyes, she had inherited the slim constitution of the Sindar. Also, her temperament was closer to her Sindar kindred than the Noldor, which was pretty lucky for her in Arya's opinion, as much as she had loved her Noldor relatives, they took themselves far too seriously most of the time.  
  
"Oh, my lady. Thank you, I do my best for my King, he is kind and courteous, the best master I could wish for" - stammer Thallan.  
  
Arya took advantage of the opening, trying discreetly to enquire into the King's character:  
  
"Well, the King is likewise so young, he must be happy to have someone like you who can learn of him what he favour and don't. Also, I suppose there are others King attendants, aren't they? Kings love to surround themselves with people as far as I can tell"- lied Arya through her teeth. Her cousin _Findekáno_ used to escape alone for days, and she didn't suppose he changed that much when he took the throne. Her uncle _Nolofinwë_ was more foreboding with the trappings of royalty, but it would be a bit too much to say that he enjoyed it.  
  
"No, no I'm his only attendant, he is used to do things by himself. He has some other elves to help him out with concrete tasks which need special skills, like keeping his armour, but he is training me to take over as soon as I can. He said he didn't want to have dozens of persons around wasting their time just waiting on him, and that he is perfectly capable of keeping his personal appearance. "- Thallan rushed to defend his master.  
  
Well, so the new High King was successfully following his illustrious predecessors' example, she wasn't surprised in the least. Her whole family hated the to be made a fuss of, except maybe her uncle _Arafinwë_, he used to enjoy it, or maybe it was only to keep away from the family scrabbles.  
  
"So, Thallan, what does this dinner entails? What should we expect from it? Who will be there? We are plain people that never had been in a situation like this, any information you can give us will be welcome"- asked Arya, bluring the truth a bit as she had quite a bit experience with royalty.  
  
"I can't be sure who will be there, my lady, the King is not in the habit of inviting people to his table outside formal visits or celebrations such as this one"- pondered the young elf.  
  
"Please Thallan, call me Arya, I don't use that title"- said the blonde with a smile, and keep reflecting - "Probably Lord Elrond and Lord Elros will be there if Lord Elrond is going to give me a tour. But what about his councillors, do they usually dinner with His Majesty?"  
  
"Oh please, they can't be invited, especially that nasty one on the end of the table" - said Gwedhil thinking of those who seemed to look down on them when they were invited to approximate the high table.  
  
"I'm sure his Majesty will take into account all the personalities involved when he decide who invite to the dinner"- intercede the attendant diplomatically before the members of the company started to panic to the thought of a whole evening with some of the royal councillors. He couldn't blame them about that, Gil-galad had a mind of his own and wasn't easily influenced except maybe by his foster father, Cirdan. But he had inherited from his father, uncle and even cousins' Courts many of their advisors and councillors. Those elves had enjoyed a certain amount of influence and standing in that courts and wished the same space in Gil-galad's. There had been a few difficult situations and it was a difficult balance for the King to keep, he respected their experience and advice but he didn't want them to believe they had the right to dictate his decisions.  
  
While they were arguing among themselves about who should and shouldn't be at the dinner, they had reached the courtyard of the palace, and arrived to the stables where they had left the carriage and their horses, to take them and their things back. Lindon palace was situated at the high point of a hill next to the coast, there was a great expanse of grounds around it with gardens and auxiliary buildings which hosted the palace staff and the King's guard. A few leagues down the hill, there was Naatheas, a coastal town which had grown under the shadow of the King Court, they had set the caravan's tents and wagons just outside the town.  
  
"Well Thallan, thank you for your company and your insights, I'm sure we will see each other soon enough" - said Arya while taking the reins of his horse giving to her by a stable boy. She would have rather to change her clothes into something more comfortable to ride, but the delay produced by the King left them little time to go back to the caravan grounds before it was too dark. By tacit agreement they had decided that they should be back as soon as possible to talk to Faelyn and Gwedhil's parents who would, no doubt, have plenty to say about the happenings of the evening. Also, the rest of the caravan members would wish to know of their achievement, the wellbeing of all of them depended on it.  
  
"Well, Thallan, don't be a stranger, you are invited to visit me. I can show you around the caravan anytime you want"- invited Glinnel to their guide. Thallan shyly make a bow and leave them to return to the palace.  
  
The band take their things into the cart, which would be driven back by Faelyn. They mount their horses and started the way back to their friends and families.

* * *

After saying goodbye to Thallan, Arya had mounted her horse and stayed at the back of the line by herself. Faelyn and Gwedhil and the rest of the troup left her to her own devices for now, well aware that the evening had taken a strange turn and keeping their own council for now.  
  
Faelyn took this time to reflect. He wasn't as young as his sister and the rest of the troop and he, from the moment they had meet Arya, had formed his own opinion about her past. Not about the details about who she was, he didn't know that Arya was someone in the history books, so he didn't try to match her to anyone there. But there were things impossible to hide. _Lachen_ they used to call them, flame-eyed. That was something Arya couldn't hide, and so she didn't bother to try, with that eyes she had to have born in Aman in the Years of the Trees. That meant that she had crossed into Beleriand with Fëanor's or Fingolfin's host.  
  
But there were other hints about her. Tall and blonde with grey-blue eyes, with a slim but strong body, Arya was the ideal Vanyarin beauty. At least, as far as Faelyn could tell from the stories told to them from the West. He had to admit that he never saw a Vanya elf or _elleth_ before, even the Lady Galadriel was only a faraway tale for him. Their King, Gil-galad also had Vanyar blood on him from his grand-grandmother _Indis_, but he didn't seem to have inherited any of her looks. With typical Noldor grey eyes and dark hair, the King was tall and broad, his face was not as chiselled as his father had been and he had inherited many of his mother's looks with the Noldor's colouration. In whole was not a classically attractive face, but he made it work combining the strength of his will, his dynamism and charisma. Certainly, Arya was an abnormality in this shores, with her Vanyar looks. During the rebellion of the Noldor, most of them had stayed loyal to the Valar. The ones who had joined the rebellion were those who had ties to the Noldor, so Faelyn was betting that Arya had Noldor kin if not blood.  
  
Lastly, there were some clues about her past in her character and mannerisms. Arya moved as a fighter, which didn't come as a surprise if she came with Fëanor's or Fingolfin's people. Also, after tonight, it became clear that she was used to dealing with high lords and Kings. Even if she tried to keep a low profile, once the King engaged her into conversation, her way of talking was fluent and confident. She answered his questions politely and readily, the more they talked, the more she worded her answers as a high born lady. Faelyn would eat his drums if Gil-galad was the first King that Arya had to deal with.  
  
At last, they arrived at the clearing outside Naatheas where their caravan had made their camp. There were still a fair amount of people lounging around, many of them waiting for them. If they had obtained the royal seal of acceptance, a good amount of opportunities would be open for all so everyone had contributed as they could to the success of their venture.

* * *

Aegloss and Maeroniel were waiting impatiently for their children, the three of them (and of course they were counting Arya as theirs, she had became theirs the moment they saw her looking so lost on the coast of Craydon). It was late and they should be back by now, however there was some movement on the main entrance of the camp, so it was probably them. And indeed it was, Faelyn was at the lead, guiding the carriage into the camp, Gwedhil next to it already dismounting her horse (she didn't enjoy riding) and at the back of the group, Arya was leading her mount to his stall leaving dismounting it to the last moment, trying to weather the uproar they had created with their arrival.  
  
There was a bit of controlled chaos, while the elves and men in charge of the horses take control of the animals and the trailer so the company could dismount and go to change and rest as they had been unable to do after the performance. However Faelyn, Gwedhil and Arya didn't have that privilege, as they had to report back to the leaders of the caravan about what had happened that evening.  
  
Arya took a moment to hug her fellow dancers, thanking them for the work they had done and their support and patience after the play. Glinnel, in particular, seemed to take her time hugging her back and whispering some words in her ear. Arya shook her head laughing and wave her away while saying goodnight to her and to Talindra and Tisha, the two sisters who complete the set of dancers.  
  
That done, Aegloss and Maeroniel escort their children into the leader's tent, where the representatives of every company and race belonging to the caravan, The Shooting Star meet to make decisions. Despite the late hour, the tent was full, as everyone had waited for the outcome of their endeavours. Stepping into the tent, Arya took a look around to judge the mood of the gathering. The tent was big enough to hold a circular table in the centre surrounded by a dozen of chairs. Although the informal council of leaders of the caravan was formed by six members, two of every race: Men, Dwarves and Elves, there were a few more chairs to use by those invited to their councils, even if only the two representatives of each race would hold deciding power.  
  
Already sitting on two of the chairs of the table there were the two dwarves representatives Korlig and Dral, both belonged to the Dwarf clan of the Broadbeams. Most of the dwarves of that clan had gone east after the War but many of them still lingered near Lindon, and those who had joined into their caravan had made it with the wish of looking for new sources of income from the different towns **The Shooting Star** visited. They took charge of repairing their tools and carts, contributed to the defence of the caravan and mounted a small street market if they stayed long enough into a town to make it worth the effort. Sometimes they also prepared some music spectacles. Even if they didn't have the elves beautiful voices, they had surprisingly strong voices who reached the audience. Also, their music was informal and down to earth, so they usually planned a few musical act in the evenings after the people had started to drink and wanted a few songs to go with it. Korlig and Dral were reserved as it was usual in their race but clever and loyal, so Arya had took a shine to them, as for them, they found Arya a competent fighter and in no way fastidious, so they didn't find any fault in her (which was a high praise on their part). Arya offered them a brief bow after made eye-contact with them, which the dwarves returned in kind.  
  
That gesture took the attention of the Men present, who were at the back of the tent talking among themselves, besides the two leaders of the Men Bronwyn and Llewellyn, there was a few others. Raven and Mayda, both men's wife and sister's respectively, were standing next to the back table where a few drinks were served. Also, a man called Reed, who was their unofficial scout and even more unofficial spy, was standing next to them. He didn't have the personality to lead or the desire to do it but he enjoyed to find and share information and participate in the caravan's decisions. Once they saw the elves entering, they approximated to the table to take their seats. The elves took the remaining places around the table.  
  
"Well, how did it go? we were expecting you before sundown, we weren't sure if it was a good or bad omen that you weren't here"- started Llewellyn, always the more impatient.  
  
Faelyn, Gwedhil and Arya looked among themselves and Arya, as usual, took the floor:  
  
"It went well, the audience liked the play and the King compliment us for our performance, he said it was like nothing he had seen at Lindon before"- Arya said cheerfully.  
  
All around the table, the council looked pleased and relieved with the good tidings. However, Raven seemed to read between lines and continued questioning the three siblings:  
  
"The King told you? So you spoke to him in person?"- she asked.  
  
"Yes, we were asked to approach the King's table after the show"- Arya answered, and taking advantage of the question, she decided to tell all their news at once -"He was actually fascinated by our description of this caravan and invited us again tomorrow for dinner so we can share our expertise. He specifically asked for you also"- she concluded looking towards Aegloss and Maeroniel.  
  
"The King invited us to dinner?" - the two older elves asked astonished.  
  
"Oh yes, he insisted"- answered Faelyn with a small grin. He was also terrified of the dinner situation, but seeing their parents this rattled give him a fair amount of amusement, payback for all the times their parents had embarrassed them when telling the tale about the fisherman -"We are invited by his Royal Majesty High King of the Elves, Ereinion Gil-Galad to a dinner feast tomorrow evening, I hope you have something to wear"- said their son pompously, enjoying the looks of panic.  
  
"It will all right"- said Arya who, although was also enjoying the scene (that fisherman thing had been really embarrassing) wanted to end the evening as soon as possible and go to bed, taking into account that she had another commitment tomorrow morning. -"It will be an intimate meal with only the King and a few of his closest assistants, he seemed very interested in how this caravan managed to fit the different races and resolve our logical differences. Of course, it was something unusual and he seemed to find it interesting"- added the blonde with a small smile towards the Men and Dwarves present.  
  
"Well, of course, he would find it unusual. Shut away in his palace, he can't understand the way of life of the companies. I heard that he used to live in the island of Balar before he became King, it doesn't seem to me that he knows a lot about the world"- dismissed Llewellyn, who didn't care that much about gentry.  
  
"I wouldn't put it like that"- defended Arya, much for her own surprise -"He doesn't seem an indifferent kind of ruler. I heard that he try to talk with as many of his subjects as possible and learn about people of all social classes and experiences. The fact that he invite us into this dinner shows that he is interested"- she concluded.  
  
"Perhaps, but I don't see how he expect to learn about us in a dinner. He should come here and spend time around us if he is interested"- argued back Llewellyn.  
  
"Never mind that, I'm sure you all are tired and need to go to bed if we want to be at our best tomorrow evening. We'll need to look for appropriate clothes if we want to make a good impression" - interceded Maeroniel earning a grateful look from her children.  
  
"Also, you will need to find something for me, I will be busy all morning taking a tour around the palace" - added Arya, only too happy to keep out of those tasks.  
  
"A tour of the palace? Why?" - asked Mayda surprised.  
  
"Oh yes, Lord Elrond invited her to show her around the place"- said Gwedhil with a mischievous smile towards Arya.  
  
The others looked surprised of this last titbit, Llewellyn, in particular, looked more than a bit jealous. He had been hopelessly in love with the Vanya for the last 5 years, since she came into the company. Although he didn't expect to be corresponded, he couldn't help to feel the bite of jealousy any time someone show interest on the blonde.  
  
"Yes, tomorrow will start early for me. Lord Elrond has promised to be here at first light, so with your leave, I would like to go to bed and rest. It has been a long day and tomorrow promises to be even longer"- said Arya, ignoring the reactions of the others to that last revelation.  
  
"Of course, _gwinig_. You three can leave, someone will be waiting for Lord Elrond to direct him to you."- said Aegloss tenderly to his children motioning them away.  
  
The three siblings didn't doubt for a moment and took their leave from the tent before anyone would find a reason to detain them further. Without needing a word, they went the quieter way to their trailers, to avoid attention. All their caravans were close to the border of the elvish zone of the campsite, next to where the craftsmen and other merchants had reserved their space to work. It was a busy place to be but also Arya found it the more interesting to be, she had loved the forge when younger, his father was an engineer he had taught her to love the making of things. Even if she wasn't a smith anywhere close her most famous relatives, she could defend herself against most. Also, it came handy now to go to their tents quietly because everyone had finished their works and it was mostly empty, the few stragglers could be avoided easily.  
  
Once they arrived at their destination, Arya took small breath of relief, and looked to her friends, they both looked about done by now, so although she would have wanted to compare impressions of the night with them, she decided to leave them to their rest and after saying goodnight she went into her trailer. She took her dress quickly off and gave herself a hasty wash with the water of a basin to take off the makeup. And after that, she put on a big shirt she used to sleep on and took herself to bed and a well-deserved rest.  
  
She dreamed of her cousin _Findekáno_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gwinig: little one
> 
> So, I was hoping to get to Gil-galad's impressions of Arya, but all the background stories and the band's impressions of the night have gotten pretty long. I hope they aren't too tedious.  
Thank you to everyone who has left kudos on this and those who commented it, it made my day!!. I didn't expect a lot of answers, if any, for this, taking into account that it is my first work and also is such a rare pairing but I am glad to see there is some interest out there. I'm enjoying working on it but I'm happy if it also gives joy to someone, I've enjoyed a lot of works from many people so I would like to give back something after all this time.


	5. Many meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
"She is important Ereinion"- said the half-elf, reinforcing the severity of his assertion by calling his cousin by his barely used _epessë_ -"I couldn't tell you how or why. But she isn't just a musician or a wandering artist. Something about her call me, I can't tell you more"  

> 
> The caravan's members made their first impression on the royal family, and Arya's shows her true looks much to the amusement of her fellow artists. Elrond and her started their friendship, they don't know it yet but it will shape both of their futures. They better get it right. 

Elrond entered Gil-galad study, following his brother with fear. He hadn't thought sufficiently the tour invitation to Arya, and now it seemed that he may pay for it. While Gil-galad was a pretty relaxed King who didn't want to be a tyrant, he expected loyalty from his subjects, particularly from those he counted as family. When Maglor send them away to Gil-galad, Elrond and Elros had been scared and trying to hide it. They didn't know anything about this cousin-King, and even if Maglor and Maedhros had been keeping them as hostages, they had treated them with kindness, and cared for them as their children. It was only after the Oath became unbearable, that they decided to send them away to Gil-galad for safety.

Gil-galad had taken them in without a moment of doubt, he had given them all that was in his considerable power to give, both material such as clothes, food and a place to call their own and immaterial such as the best tutors and all the attention he could spare for them, from his royal duties. The twins had returned his kindness with suspicion at first, but soon he won their loyalty and love, and they became their main defenders before the Court and anyone who would dare to attack the King in any way.

Elrond had noticed during the play that Gil-galad had become fascinated by the violin player. And when he asked the three siblings to dinner with him, Elrond could read between the lines to the real goal of the invitation. So, when it seemed that Arya was trying to escape the situation, he tried to help out his cousin by corral her with his own invitation. After that, however, he realized how that it may have looked from the outside: like he was also interested in the violinist. Now he needed to defend himself from his cousin's suspicions. The problem was that he was actually interested in her, not romantically interested as such even if he thought she was beautiful, but interested by the mystery she presented. The play had been amazing, never in his life he had seen something like that. The violin player had been able to play and dance simultaneously with an unexpected skill. When Faelyn had explained their source of inspiration, the old Bards who played into battle to help their troops, Maglor had came to mind immediately. And the fact that Arya had the shining eyes of the Aman-born had brought many questions to the half-elf, had she met Maglor before? was he who taught her to play? did she fight at the War or any of the previous battles? How old was she? All of this was running through his head while he waited for the King to start the conversation. Gil-galad was standing next to the fireplace when he started the conversation with his eyes still fixed to the fire:

"Well, this night was different. I was starting to think it would be a total loss." - said the King without looking at the twins -"Elros, how did you find the men? were you able to relate to them?" - he asked to the older twin

"They are interesting cousin. I couldn't make a full impression in such a short time but they seemed to be competent and polite."- answered diplomatically the half-elf as it was his habit.

"Lord Cyryatur at least seemed to enjoy the celebrations,"- commented Gil-galad dryly, while turning around to them, remembering the enthusiastic applause of the man, and continued a bit worriedly -"were you able to find something in common with them?"

The older twin was quiet for a long time, thinking the question carefully.

"It is a bit early for that my lord, I think they are as cautious with me as me with them. There is no trust among us so it makes it hard to make bonds. Hopefully, it will change with time"- concluded Elros.

Gil-galad nodded at this. It was no more than he was expecting, after all it was difficult, as Elros said, to build trust between people just because they must, but the King was at loss of how to help his cousin in making the transition easier. In a few months, the Fleet would sail and by then, ready or not, those men would need to trust each other and their new King. It was a difficult situation and Gil-galad decided to left it aside for now. Looking at the older twin, he softened his look and said:

"You should go to bed Elros, you look about done in. I would like to have a further word with your brother about tomorrow's tour, but I don't want to keep you from your sleep. Tomorrow, you will have to inspect the Fleet with Lord Cyryatur."- concluded the King, and waving away Elros gratitude, he wait until he left the room to turn to the younger elf. Before he could say anything, Elrond started to talk.

"Cousin, I hope you don't believe that I had anything but your best interest when I invited Lady Arya to visit the Palace"- rushed to said the half-elf, deciding than directness was the way to go.

"My best interest?" - asked the King curiously -"What makes you think that I have any interest?"- proceeded to say, in a vain hope to distract his intuitive cousin.

"So you are not interested? You wouldn't mind if I were to court this elf?"- asked the _perendhil_ directly. He was usually more diplomatic about things but he had the feeling that this _elleth_ would be very important for him and his cousin and he didn't want him to be foolish about it.

The King looked at his cousin questioning, he was being very unsubtle about this issue, and it surprised him. He decided to be honest for now:

"I am interested. But I'm surprised by your interference, and I'm not sure that I care for my younger cousin to involve himself this way in my personal life"- continued Gil-galad, looking firmly to his cousin.

"She is important Ereinion"- said the half-elf, reinforcing the severity of his assertion by calling his cousin by his barely used _epessë_ -"I couldn't tell you how or why. But she isn't just a musician or a wandering artist. Something about her call me, I can't tell you more"

Gil-galad looked surprised and a bit alarmed by this news, he had the uttermost respect for his cousin's intuitions even if he didn't understand them. As his cousin Galadriel, Elrond was able to reach the future, but with his inexperience, he was often at loss of what he was feeling or seeing. If properly trained, with time this skill would be of great use to the half-elf.

"Very well, I trust that you are sincere and looking out for me"- concluded the King, yielding -"So tomorrow you will go down to the caravan's camp and give our mystery violinist a tour of this place. I hope you will tell me after all you can find of her?"- asked in a not so subtle order.

"I will tell you all I can"- said Elrond noncommittally, feeling like he had dodged an arrow.

The King noted the wording but decided not to confront him for now, and wave the younger twin away.

"Go to sleep Elrond, we will talk more tomorrow"

The half-elf exit the room hastily leaving the King to his thoughts. Gil-galad stayed in his study long into the night trying to make sense of Arya with little success, he would have to wait and see what Elrond could get from her at the morning and what he would be willing to share.

* * *

The next morning started as a sunny but cold day, _firith_ was about to finish and _rhîw_ would start soon, there were some dark clouds at the Blue Mountains, although they still looked far away. Still, Elrond was bundled up in warm clothes, owing to his mortal blood, in spite of having choose immortality, he still was more sensible to the change of seasons and the cold especially. He took his favourite horse from the stables _ Alqua_ and started down the road to the caravan's campsite, the caravan was situated about half a league from Naatheas, who was two leagues away from the Palace so at a smooth canter Elrond was able to arrive in about 30min.

Arriving at the main entrance of the Caravan's campsite was an impressive sight. In a surprisingly well-organized setting, the Caravan took a space of about three and half acres of land. There was a few tents marked as security by the individuals standing armed around them, their clothes had an uniform-like vibe so people would know them by sight. This security tents were distributed around the campsite at intervals, one of them in the entrance of the clearing, which also had a big banner showing the name of the caravan **The shooting star** in great bold letters. ****

This caravan offered all kind of entertainments, there was a big circus tent on the left for the theater and musical acts, a street market next to it with all kinds of wares, and some tables and tents behind it to eat and drink and invite people to stay and have a good time. To the right of the entrance, after the horse tents and pens, were the trades caravans and trailers, where the smiths and artisans worked their trades. In the center of the campsite, a big tent with different banners, marked the leader's meeting place.

And behind all this were the resting place for the caravan's members, divided into three zones, behind the eating zone on the left, the Men zone. After that, the smaller Dwarves tents and trailers and on the right at the back the Elves zone. Elrond was truly impressed, whoever had mounted this clearly had taken their time to make the best possible work.

While he was standing next to the entrance looking around, a few people had taken notice of him. Alerted by Aegloss, two of the elves had been waiting at the entrance for the elf-lord, and approached to intercept him.

"My Lord Elrond?"- inquired the first elf politely, although he was almost certain that it was indeed who they had been expecting.

"Yes, I am him" -answered the _perendhil_ looking at them curiously

"I am Thonor, and this is Galasson. We were instructed to wait for you my lord, and guide you around. Arya is still finishing breakfast but she should be here shortly, she recommend that we take you to look around while we wait"- said the young Sinda.

Elrond scrutinised this elves with interest, they both looked very young. The one who had talked probably not counted half-century, but he seemed confident and cheerful. He was silver-haired and short, probably not fully grown yet. The other elf looked more bashful, of Sylvan descent with his red-brown hair, he seemed less confident than his companion. Elrond, who knew few elves of his age, besides his brother and Thallan, who was very bashful, and had known even less of them growing up was curious about this elves' lives and how it was growing up in a wandering caravan.

"I'm happy to wait and I would love to look around a bit while we do it, what would you recommend Thonor, Galasson?"- he asked including the other elf in his query.

"You may enjoy the street market, my lord"- answered Galasson shyly -"they will be still installing some of the tents because we only arrived two days ago, but there is still plenty to look at"- Thonor concurred also to Galasson suggestion, always interested in looking to the weapons tents even if he couldn't afford them.

"Very well, let us go then, lead the way"- said the half-elf

The three of them entered the campsite, leaving Elrond's horse first at the pens. A few able looking stable boys took charge of the animal after a few words of Thonor, who reassured the half-elf that the horse would be well attended until his return. They went left after that to the different stands in the space reserved for the market. As Galasson had said, many of them were still being set up by their owners but there were a few interesting ones already up and running.

Thonor went straight to one which was showing many different weapons and which was manned by a stout looking dwarf.

"Hello Totir" - called Thonor to the dwarf, starting to look around to the new items with interest. The dwarf nodded without saying anything and kept organizing his stock.

Elrond looked around the stand with interest, he hadn't seen many dwarf's made weapons except for Narsil, the sword made by the famous dwarf smith Telchar, back in the First Age. That sword was given to his brother by the King, as a legacy for his House, and Elrond and Elros had been impressed by it when they first saw it.

Looking at Totir merchandise, he found many attractive items. Even if none of them had the skill of Telchar, dwarves were exceptional smiths and the tools were well crafted and beautiful as dwarf's weapons usually were. Totir started to look interested when he noticed the aspect of the half-elf. Although he didn't wear any noticeable sign of his status, his clothes and mannerisms screamed nobility to any discerning eye, and dwarves were very skilled noticing money.

"Are you looking for something in particular, my lord" -asked the dwarf.

"Just looking around" -said the half-elf looking to the daggers display -"this dagger looks very impressive, I may be interested in it for a gift" - he added inspecting a golden dagger with geometrical designs in the blade and the hilt.

The dwarf seemed pleased and both of them started to haggle for a price, Elrond was young, not even yet at his first century, but well-schooled at many practical skills so he was able to get a good price for it. More so when he admitted that the intended recipient for the gift would be the soon to be King of Numenor. Thonor looked more than a bit envious.

After getting his gift wrapped, they left for the next stall, lounging around the place without anything else catching their eye (or having the funds for it in Thonor and Galasson's case) after learning than Galasson was actually an artisan apprentice and that his master had a stall around there they went to that one next.

"Good morning _ heron_" -greeted Galasson, using the honorific "master"

"Good morning Galasson, this must be Arya's friend Lord Elrond, how are you liking our market, my lord?" - greeted the master artisan cheerfully.

"I liked it so far. You had an amazing range of things like I never seen before. Galasson bring us here to introduce us, what is what you sell here?" - asked Elrond

"I am Mírdan my lord, and I'm a jewel smith. You can see my work here" - the elf pointed to one of the displays showing beautiful collars, pendants, hair accessories and bracelets.

Elrond looked interested at this, seeming to find particularly interesting a small hair adornment shaped as an eagle.

"Looking for a gift for a sweetheart?" -asked a voice behind him  
All the elves at the stall turned to the new elf, having come close to them without their notice.

"Arya!" - called Thonor and Galasson at unison.

"Good morning, _gwinig_"- said the _elleth_ to both elves -"Hello, my lord" - she said also to the half-elf

Elrond looked at her shocked, after seeing her true looks without makeup. The full effect of her delicate features, beautiful blue eyes and especially her golden-blonde hair make him loss momentary the words he was going to say in greeting.

The other elves, save Arya, were looking amused, already used to her normal looks, and after knowing her for a while (you couldn't keep feeling awe of someone after seeing her fleeing from a besotted fisher-elf), they could now enjoy her effect in new and unsuspecting victim.

Arya started to look annoyed when the elf kept looking at her open-mouthed and without answering to her greeting.

"My lord?" -she try to nudge him back to reality.

"I'm sorry my lady, you took me by surprise, your friends have taken such good care of me that I almost forgot we were waiting for someone" - Elrond recovered, feeling lucky that Gil-galad and his brother wasn't here to see him like this. The King would have had further words for him and his brother wouldn't have left him to live it down.

"I'm glad, and please call me Arya, I don't use that title" - said the blonde giving the two elves a small smile of approval. They brighten up at this and Thonor, never one to leave a chance get away from him, try to take advantage of this:

"We were happy to show him around, you could say that perform this task show a great deal of maturity, wouldn't you?" -said the young elf cheekily.

Arya rolled her eyes but answered him with indulgence.

"It is not me who you need to convince first, but your parents" -she answered with the air of someone who had told this many times (she had) - "Once they agree, then you start to convince _me_.

"But you could talk to them" - insisted Thonor

"Thonor, I'm sorry to tell you that if you need me to convince your parents to join a fighting class, you are not mature enough for it"- answer back the _elleth_. Giving that discussion as finished, she turned back to the half-elf noticing that he seemed to have purchased something already.

"Are you ready to go or you wished to buy something from Mírdan? He is an accomplished jeweller and that eagle is beautifully done" -she added

Elrond, having used the time to shake off his surprise, turned to look the eagle again, fascinated by the detail of the adornment

"You think so? I like the detail." -said the _perendhil_ musingly. Arya took the small ornament in her hand and looked at it closely. For a few moments, she seemed to be elsewhere in her mind, but she shook off the memories and answered.

"It is lovely. It would make for a nice adornment or a pretty gift for someone close to you" - she finished. Elrond bought it after that and they left the stall behind. Arya started them for the entrance of the campsite again. Once they reached the horse pens and picked up Elrond and Arya's horses they said goodbye to Thonor and Galasson and started back to the palace. Elrond looked around for a topic to talk about and notice the sword and bow at Arya's back.

"Those are very interesting weapons."- He said looking to the hilt of the sword. It looked strangely familiar. -"who is the smith who made them?" - he asked interested.

"I made the sword, and a Sindar's weapon master gave me the bow" - she answered him.

"You are a smith?" - Elrond asked surprised.

"Not by profession, but I can make my own weapons and tools. And a few more things. I'm not a master by any means"- Arya answered carefully. It was quite normal in the old days to know at least enough smithery to fix your own weapons and it wasn't so unusual to actually know how to create them. At that time they all were learning together how to make better weapons. Some people like _Fëanaro_ had started the building of weapons at Valinor, but most of them hadn't thought it necessary until they crossed to Belerian, so the number of elves who knew how to make a sword was so small that _Nolofinwe_ sent to the forge anyone with the least bit of knowledge or inclination to learn. Arya was among them as her father had introduced to the forge as a child.

Elrond seemed to find the sword fascinating, and Arya finally decided to hand it over for his inspection. The making of it was beautiful, it had a two-hands handle, and the sword was curved through all its length both hilt and blade. At the blade, it was engraved with _Tengwar_ words of blessing. It glowed blue when orcs and its like came close. On the whole it was a beautiful weapon, made at the style of the First Age weapons that Arya was used to. She had been aware that it would be something that could call attention to herself, but in this case for all her wish of anonymity, she chose to be safe with the weapon she was used to before anything else.

Elrond chose not to press the issue sensing it would make her close up, and change the topic to the lands they were crossing. Making good of his promise of showing her around he started to explain her about the history of the land and the Palace on the top of the hill. As he was still studying the topic with his tutors, it was pretty fresh on his mind, and as he was a gifted orator, he made a good guide

When they arrived into the palace grounds, a huge space of land who lead to the palace at the hill, he took his time to point out the different meadows, memorials and lodges. When Gil-galad had build _Turion silmë_ as the place was called, he didn't only want to create a centre of power but a heart for the kingdom. His people had lost their home at Belerian and was feeling lost and angry. So Gil-galad tried to gather all of them around himself and his kingdom, and the building of this place was a part of it.

Arya had to admit she was feeling impressed by it, it showed an interest and foresight on the King's part that hadn't been there for the previous monarchs as far as she could tell. Both _Nolofinwe_ and _Findekáno_ had ruled as fairly as they could, but their main goal had been the defence against Morgoth. The same went with _Turukáno_, the very conception of Gondolin was about defense and not about building a future for their people. She decided that she liked the new King's approach.

The two of them arrived at least to the Palace itself, it was a fortress built to defend from anything coming to it. With an outer wall, watchtowers, a drawbridge. it was an impressive sight which Arya had been unable to appreciate the night before, so she looked around with great interest. She couldn't avoid to compare it with others Kings' fortress such as _Himring_ or the one at _Hithlum_ and she thought that it was an improvement from it, it was clear that however had designed it had tried to learn from the past.

Once they left the horses at the stables, Elrond guided her to the entrance of the castle. Inside it, it was even more impressive. The Great Hall was made to impress the visitors, with his huge amplitude and beautiful staircases. The day before, Arya and the band had been shown to the ballroom where the festival was being ready but now she was able to appreciate the whole effect.

Elrond kept up with his former commentary explaining her the in and outs of the different architectures of the Palace, guiding her through the public rooms like the Ballroom, now empty, the Music room who was being used so they stepped away carefully, the Conservatory, the Library... it was this last place where Arya found a new home, one of the things she had missed in her new life was the chance to easily find books and scholars willing to teach her the things that drew her attention. It was a privilege she had had that she had taken as granted in the past. Elrond noticed her fascination and allowed to delay at that room, their tour was practically finished anyway and soon he should escort her back home to get ready for the dinner feast.

Managing to take her away from the books, with the promise of a latter visit (he figured Gil-galad would appreciate that) he took her to the inner gardens of the Palace. They were a beautiful set of carefully designed gardens created to the enjoyment of the royal family so they could find a sanctuary in difficult days. Elrond had thought them wonderful since his arrival and he believed Arya would like them also.

"This is wonderful" - said the blonde taking seat in one of the benches of the fountain's garden they were at.

"I always have loved this place, it helps me to think and reclaim my calm when I'm feeling overwhelmed" - confessed the half-elf, feeling strangely secure in sharing confidences with the blonde.

"I'm not surprised" - Arya said picking her words carefully. So far in their conversation, they had both avoided asking sensitive questions, but one of the reasons Arya had accepted this tour was trying to know more of Elrond and Elros' past, and about her friends' fates after her death. It was a delicate balance to keep, taking into account that she wasn't sure of how much she wanted to share about her own circumstances. A few well-placed questions could dismount her whole identity and past, and she was still convinced that she didn't want to get involved in any more heroics.

The Valar may have sent her back to Middle Earth instead of leaving her to go back home with her family or keeping her at Mando's Halls. She couldn't change that, that was clear to her from the start when she awoke alone, dressed with a grey garb which could only be called a dress by the most optimistic person and at a shore of what was soon clear was a very different Middle Earth than the one she remembered. No explanation, then or after. She had to admit feeling the least bit miffed about it. So after the few days feeling shocked, lost and scared, she started to feel angry and that anger soon crystallized into a decision: she would live this life as she wanted, all her previous vows and loyalty oaths had been fulfilled with her death so she was free to make her own decisions as she went.

The people who found her at the shore and took her in were Aegloss and Maeroniel, they and their children had clothed her, sheltered her that first confusing weeks and taught her all she need to know in this new life she found herself throw at. When she started to feel more like herself, she met the rest of the company, only a few other elves and a pair of security men at that moment, they hadn't established **The Shooting Star** yet. But it soon became clear that their way of life was something that Arya would enjoy experiencing so she was officially adopted by the couple and joined the company in full. And that was it, with Arya's experience as commander of an army unit, she helped to improve the safety of the band and when they started getting people drawn to their well-organized caravan, they created a whole new caravan with different acts and many attractions to offer.

It had become so big, that they started to get attention from others parties, some friendly as the town's leaders who asked them to go to their cities, and unfriendly such as bandits and resentful caravans who were less successful than them and tried to spread rumours about them. Some of them had tried to make problems for them insinuating that they were creating some kind of army. That was ridiculous of course, even if they were trying to teach everybody to defend themselves, and Arya has used her experience at the military to make their camp as safe as possible, most of the members of the caravan had little experience as soldiers and less inclination to it, they were artists and artisans, not warriors. Anyway, it was problematic, and the invitation to play at the royal festivities couldn't have come at a better moment, with the Royal seal of approval they would be able to avoid the worst of the rumours going around. If the King said that he had enjoyed his play and he didn't feel threatened by having them staying only two and a half leagues from his castle, it would do a lot to kill the rumours.

All of this had been going through Arya's head, Elrond, sensing her abstraction, had respectfully kept silent next to her. Before Arya got the chance to start to interrogate, as subtly as possible of course, her friend's grandchild, someone else enter the garden, the King. He seemed about to tell Arya something but, as Elrond before him, he seemed surprised by her different appearance from the evening before. Elrond hid his smile from his cousin, but after enjoying it for a few seconds he decided to try and rescue him:

"Hello your Majesty, I didn't expect to see you here at this time. Have you finished your audiences already?" - he asked his cousin, trying to focus his attention away from the blonde and give him time to recover from the surprise.

The King seemed to shake the shock off with his cousins' words and looked towards the half-elf.

"Yes, they were done a while ago. I was looking for you. Elros had came back from the Fleet inspection and he seemed like he needed to talk, you may want to go to him. I can escort our guest in your absence" -the King said to his cousin.

"Our tour was finished actually" - interceded Arya worried for the older twin -"I should be getting back to the camp to get ready for the dinner" -she added.

"Very well, I will take you back to your horse, Elrond go to your brother" - ordered the King, taking the chance to spend a small amount of time alone with the blonde.

Elrond made a bow to Arya and his King and took his leave of them, leaving the King alone with Arya for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> firith: begins on September 21st and ends on November 13th  
rhîw: starts on the 14th. It ends on January 24th  
alqua: swan  
heron: noun. lord, master  
Turion silmë: kindom of star-light
> 
> I found difficult to find information about Gil-galad centre of power, he was established at Lindon but there is no more names or information about it that I was able to find, so I made it up myself. I used Cholmondeley Palace as a source of inspiration. You people can look it up if you wish, it is a beautiful place and have the kind of grounds I was looking for with the castle at the top of a hill. I thought first of Versalles but the grounds were too flat and the actual house more a mansion than a castle. Anyway, you can imagine whatever you like better, I just wanted to give a reference for those like me who like to have it.
> 
> And the chapters are getting longer and longer, I'm finding difficult to find a natural place to stop. And I hope you guys aren't finding the pace too slow. I'm enjoying making up the background of the story and the characters, and trying to explain away Arya's reasoning and former life.


	6. Meet the parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
Elros however, found conclusive that she wouldn't be important for himself. He was leaving in a few months or weeks, and, however this _elleth_ was important, he would be away or long dead by then. He closed his eyes and kept hugging his brother, wishing to never let go.  

> 
> Gil-galad at least manage to get a few minutes alone with Arya, he found in her a soul mate in her disregard of protocol or foolish Court intrigues. Arya on the other hand, saw in him a nice change from her vengeance driven relatives. Now, Gil-galad only have to survive this dinner, and make a good first impression. His Court will not make it easy. 

Warning: a bit of non-consensual sex (one partner is drugged) is mentioned but not described below. Read at your discretion.

Arya took the chance to look to Gil-galad up close for the first time without anyone around or his own gaze fixed on her, taking advantage of his distraction while he was looking his cousin depart, and tried to find any resemblance to the rest of their shared family. He was very tall like _Nolofinwë_, towered above most people and was a head taller than Arya, even if she was herself above average height. He had dark black hair, long and abundant which brought to mind his father _Findekáno_ (the whole golden braids thing wasn't _only_ a fashion statement). His face wasn't classically attractive, a bit too wide and rough. He had inherited quite a bit there from his Sindarin mother. particularly at the shape of his face, mouth and eyes. 

That bit of royal scandal still reverberated among the Court, and had created a lot of obstacles for the current King. _ Bellinil_ had been a Sindar lady on the Court of King Fingolfin, she had met the then Crown Prince Fingon when he visited his father from his dominions in _Dor-lómin_, and she felt in love with the beautiful elf. Fingon, naturally outgoing and kind had unconsciously incremented her infatuation just by being himself. Used to the ladies of the Noldorian Court which knew him well out of their reach by the open-secret of his relationship with Maedhros, he treated her as he did to any of his friends until the problem mounted well out of control. _ Bellinil_ had been a bit troubled because of the loss of her family at the **Dagor Aglareb**, The Glorious Battle, and had a few self-esteem problems after the arrival of the beautiful Noldor ladies, being a bit average on top of everything. She felt that she would stay alone forever without her family or without being able to find a new family of her own. So she came up with an unwise idea, if she would have had someone to reach to her, probably things would haven't become so desperate, but she didn't have anyone. She decided that Fingon was the answer to her prayers, and pushed herself to him. Fingon was kind but rejected her firmly, surprised by the situation but unwilling to any kind of involvement with her. Amid her grief, the only escape for this that _ Bellinil_ felt she had was to purchase a small amount of some special herbs used in ritual ceremonies by the Sylvan, that could confuse the mind, and gave them to the Prince during one of the many celebrations at Court. After he left the meal for his rooms, starting to feel the effects, _ Bellinil_ follow him and got in the bed with him, and with the effect of the drugs, she managed to get enough of an answer from the prince to sleep with him.

The morning after was just what you would expect. Fingon, usually one of the most calm and relaxed Royals get, forgive the pun, royally pissed. He mounted into a fury such as never seen before in him. Fingolfin also was as coolly furious as anyone had seen him since the burning of the ships and his brother's betrayal, expelled _ Bellinil_ summarily from the Court and the kingdom. After all the commotion, Fingon left immediately for _Himring_, Maedhros fortress, presumably to inform him of what happened before the news reached him from ill-disposed sources. However that went, Fingon stayed with his cousin for the next year, until word reached him from Fingolfin: a young servant girl had arrived to _Hithlum_ with a baby boy and the news of _ Bellinil's_ death. She had conceived that disastrous night and without a father to help her to nurse the baby, she had died at childbirth. Fingon and Maedhros returned at once, and at arrival, after a closed audience with the King, Fingon announced the birth of his son and heir Ereinion Gil-Galad. Because of the way it had happened, the child youth, and Gil-galad mixed heritage, it was decided that Turgon would still be Fingon's heir if it came to that. But Fingon loved the child and doted on him from the moment he met him despite the circumstances of his conception or his feelings towards his mother.

All of this, Arya had gotten both at Gondolin from the news Turgon got from his father Court by the way of his spies, and once she came back to life to Middle Earth, from rumours and tales told all around the Kingdom. A scandal of this magnitude, with the lifespan of the elves, could last several ages. On the whole, Arya felt a great deal of sympathy for her cousin (first cousin once removed, but really, cousin worked for her) and could imagine how difficult was to become a King with all that baggage involved. Once Turgon died, the alternatives to the Crown were a somehow misbegotten half Noldor - half Sinda lad brought up by Cirdan the ship-maker or a pair of kidnapped twins of even more mixed ascent (included that Thingol dubious heritage as far as the Noldor were concerned), so Gil-galad became the next High King of the Noldor in Middle Earth.

Gil-Galad after looking away from his cousin's departure, turned back towards the blonde, watching Arya for the first time in detail and up close, and got again the full effect of her changed appearance. As others had noticed before him, he could see that Arya had the typical Vanya looks, with her golden hair, dark blue eyes, tall stature and slim dancer constitution. Her features were symmetrical and classically attractive. On the whole, she was an exotic beauty from the Undying lands, and not the kind of partner he usually went for. Well aware of his appearance, who would be counted as a average for many if not for the crown in his head, and a bit scarred by his family story, Gil-galad was usually suspicious by any attention given by someone he considered out of his league. Arya so far had kept open-minded towards him, only interested as far the group situation was concerned. Under normal circumstances, Gil-galad would have given wide berth to the blonde, but he was unable to do so this time, maybe because Arya had shown herself as unassuming and forthright unlike many ladies of similar beauty but more conceited temperament, or maybe because of Elrond's intuition. He decided to test the waters with her. 

"How have you liked the tour my lady" - asked the King, taking a seat next to the blonde but at a decorous distance. 

"Please Sire, only Arya. It has been very interesting, Lord Elrond is a kind and friendly guide. I particularly liked the grounds and the library, I have missed the chance to browse for books at will" - answered Arya with a smile remembering the full extent of the library and all the books there.

"You are welcome here anytime to use the library as you wish, Arya"- he said, liking the sound of her name and continue - "And please, I would like if you call me Gil when we are outside a formal setting, my friends call me that" - he said, offering his name for now. Ereinion felt too intimate still for their current almost non-existent relationship, but he didn't want to hear Majesty from her all the time. 

"Lord Elrond suggested that as well, pending your approval, of course, I will take you up your offer, I've been wanting to look up many issues to help out with the running of the caravan and missed someplace to look. There are only as many books you can carry around on the go, and many books are hard to find"- said Arya pleased - "And now, I should get going, I've been invited to a royal dinner and I need to find out what my family has found me to wear" - she teased with a smile.

"I am sure anything you wear will be beautiful if it is you wearing it" -said the King gallantry, and got up his seat to offer the _elleth_ a helping hand up

Arya accept the helping hand and got up from the bench, the King used the offered hand and tucked it in his arm to escort her back to her horse. Thinking of the way back and the dangers of the road, he offered: 

"Given that I've deprived you of your original escort, I will send you with a guard to the camp" - the King said while they walked - "I would go with you myself but they would insist on sending a whole score of guards with me and things had been complicated the last few weeks without adding further work for them" - added Gil-galad. 

"Of course, Sire, It's not even necessary to send a guard with me, the campsite is close enough and I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. I don't want to be a bother for anyone" -answered Arya.

"Please, call me Gil, and It is necessary, I'm not maligning your skills but there has been sights of orcs less of ten leagues from the palace and we are still trying to figure out what they are looking for and manage to wipe them out. "

"Lord Elrond came alone. Well, some elves were staying at distance, I though odd that they didn't approach" - noticed the _elleth_

"Elrond is getting used to the fact he needs an escort, he was being discreetly followed by his guard. I would appreciate if you don't let him know about it, it's for his own safety" - said Gil-galad, well aware of the hypocrisy of what he asked, giving he also eluded his escort if possible.

"Very well Gil, as you wish. "- acceded Arya, well used to royal decrees and deciding it wasn't worth the effort to fight -" I found worrying that they are getting so close to the towns. When did your scouts catch sight of them?" - asked the blonde worriedly, thinking of the safety of the caravan.

"Two nights ago, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. The scout said they seemed to be going east not south and the group was too big to engage for the troop involved. By the time the reinforcements arrived, they had lost sight of them and we haven't been able to find them again so far" - said the King frustrated.

Arya seemed to reflect this news, going through a mental list of all the facts she had learned in her life about the disgusting creatures' habits. After a few moments of reflection, she couldn't come up with any thought that would shed light on the problem, unless until she checked an accurate map of the area, so she moved on what she could do to reinforce the security of **The shooting star**

"I will have to notify _Ada_, we will reinforce the patrols around the camp and warn everybody to stay in pairs when leaving the security of the encampment" - reflected Arya out loud while planning ways to spot any danger before it arrived using the geography surrounding them.

Gil-galad looked at her surprised, he was aware that the dancer and violinist was only a facet of her character, but until now this experienced warrior has been hidden under it. Well aware of the probability that she had fought in many of the famous wars of the First Age, he tried to inquire further into her thoughts:

"Are you involved in the campsite defence?" - he asked guardedly.

"The caravan has become a small community over the last few seasons, to be honest. We all use our skills to the best interest of the band. Besides our contributions to the performances"- answered the blonde. - "I help in the defence of the campsite both by planning the organization of the patrols, setting up tramps around it and fighting if needed" - she added resolutely, trying to avoid any kind of misunderstanding, giving her appearance, it had happened in the past that some males had though she was a defenceless lady. Nothing further from reality.

They had reached the stables by now, Gil-galad made a signal to his guard captain who was present at the stable checking out the scouts' reports.

"Rehtaro, is there any further news? I need to send an escort with Lady Arya back to the encampment. Arya this is my Guard captain" - introduced the King.

"Your Majesty, the scouts are still unable to find any further evidence from the orcs" - answered the elf. He was a typical Noldor male, tall, dark-haired, grey-eyed and dreamily attractive. He looked Arya curiously, and the blonde returned the look, after nodding to the introduction. The captain returned the greeting and made a signal to another pair of elves further down the stables - "Sailatarnon, Ercassion, you will escort the lady to her destination" - ordered to a pair of elves, one dark and the other with silver hair.

Arya thanked the captain for the escort and turned to the King to say good bye:

"Thank you for the escort, your Majesty, and for your company. I will send them back as soon as we get to the campsite sight, and I will see you at the feast" - Arya said looking up to the King while starting to take back her hand which had been tucked into the King arm until now.

"I will be waiting for you and your family. I will send another escort this evening for you all. And I asked you to call me Gil" - answered the King with a smile, helping her up her horse, which had been brought out by a helpful stable boy.

Arya and her escort abandoned the castle back to the caravans' encampment under the look of the King.

* * *

Elrond entered his brother's room, looking around for him. He found him at the balcony looking towards the sea.

"Elros, you are back soon from the inspection. Was there any problem?" - asked the younger twin carefully.

"Yes, the Fleet is almost ready to depart, they are only requiring to build a few more vessels. The ones built so far have Cirdan seal of approval" - said the older in such a dark tone that he seemed to be announcing the failure of the whole enterprise if you listened only to his tone.

"And that's a problem?" - asked Elrond, who was aware of his brother's feelings as they matched his, but he had thought he had made peace with them by now.

At the end of the War, Elrond and Elros, by then wards of Gil-galad but not very trusting of him, had been taken to Manwë's Herald Eönwë. He had talked them separately and conveyed them the Valar's choice: to became part of the kindred they wanted Men or Elves. It was a well-intentioned but coldly arranged situation: to avoid that one of the twins' choices influenced the other, he didn't allow them to talk to each other before making their decision, and in consequence, they ended choosing a path which would break them apart forever. They weren't very grateful to him and departed with Gil-galad who wasn't aware of the full situation but realized they had been hurt by the Herald and took them away immediately. By the time he was told of the details the damage was irreversible, no matter how powerful the High King was, he was powerless to change that.

Elros looked at his twin brother, younger by a few minutes, so kind and intuitive but at loss of how to help him or himself. While he had chose to deal with his pain by immersing himself into the preparative for his departure, Elrond had been fervently studying all he could to occupy his time and not think about his brothers' soon to be departure. Actually this tour with the violinist had been the first trivial thing he had done in a long time. Remembering about it he decided to ask how it went:

"How did it go your tour brother? Were you able to figure out something about this violinist?" - he asked interested, and fully ready to keep his mind away of his own problems

"Some things yes. Whoever she is, she had plenty of fighting experience, she even made her own sword, and it was a beautiful work as far as I could tell. The design of it looked familiar but I can't put my finger where I had seen it before. She is learned and used to royal protocol, so probably was part of Finwë, Fingolfin or Fingon Courts, or all of them even" - answered Elrond thinking through all he had learned from Arya. - "The caravan campsite was amazing, I actually got you something, to go with your sword" - he added taking out the gift-wrapped dagger and offering to his brother.

Elros took the gift and opened it showing the dwarf made dagger, he was impressed by the detail of it and thanked his brother profusely giving him an impromptu hug. Elrond returned it tightly and the brothers stayed hugging for a long time. At least, Elros said lowly to his brother

"Do you still feel this connection to this musician?" - he asked

"Yes, it's the strangest thing but I can feel she will be important to me and to Ereinion, I can't explain it Elros, but I can feel it"- answered Elrond, frustrated by his inability to find the reason for this feeling.

Elros however, found conclusive that she wouldn't be important for himself. He was leaving in a few months or weeks, and, however this _elleth_ was important, he would be away or long dead by then. He closed his eyes and kept hugging his brother, wishing to never let go.

* * *

Arya and her family arrived at the castle escorted again by Sailatarnon and Ercassion. After a few false starts Arya decided to stay true to herself by dressing in a practical dress in the style of a warrior lady. Her dress was long and fluid, but cut so she could ride in it although she used the carriage as the rest of the family, it was gold and white with her family colours, and the colours she used at Gondolin for her house. None would make the connection because none could even conceive she would have been sent back as it never had happened before as far as she could tell. She had both sword and bow with her but she would leave them at the cart. Her foster parents were both dressed also with their best galas, Aegloss in a uniform-like attire in dark greens and leathers and Maeroniel in a beautiful green dress with her brown hair flowing down her back braided at intervals in colourful ribbons as both of her daughters (natural and adopted) were also wearing. Faelyn was wearing a similar attire than his father except for the military cut, as he had never been a soldier while his father had fought at the War. Gwedhil was also in a green dress, darker than her mother, which fit her red-brown hair very well. 

They were led by a steward, after leaving their escort at the entrance with their sincere gratitude, through the Great hall and the lobby to the winter dining room, where the table was already set and some of the other invitees were already waiting around. Elrond came closer with his brother Elros, both looking wondrous in silver and blue, Fingolfin's House colours.

"Welcome again, Arya, Gwedhil, Faelyn" - Elrond said, and turning to their parents, he added - "Good evening, madam, sir. I am Elrond _Eëarendilion_ and this is my brother Elros. We were blessed to see your children performing yesterday, they were incredible, you must be so very proud" - said Elrond charmingly. 

"Thank you, my lord, it is an honour to meet you both. And we are always proud of them, they are the best children we could hope for" - answered Maeroniel entertained by the half-elf.

Arya, Gwedhil and Faelyn exchanged looks remembering more than one instance where they were Morgoth's spawn, but decided that discretion was the better part of valour and said nothing against it. Luckily, at that moment, Gil-galad entered the room and sat at the head of the table, and further discussion was stopped by it. Elrond and Elros escorted the family up to the King's table, leading them to their seats. Arya allowed her surprise show when Elrond retired her seat at the right hand of the King, well aware of Royal protocol and the honour of that seating, her siblings were seated at her right with their parents at the left of the king. On the other extreme of the table, Elrond was seated as the secondary host with his brother at his right. Between all of them, four of Gil-galad councilors and four ladies of the court were seated (luckily none of them was Lord Rhanaer, the snobbish councillor). Thallan was standing behind his master.

Gil-galad signalled the servers to start the courses of the meal, and looked to his invitees:

"Welcome, gentleman and ladies, I'm very happy to have you here, and to finally meet the parents of such accomplished siblings" - flattered the King, smiling into Maeroniel and Aegloss direction. They both exchanged pleased although flustered smiles to the praise, before Aegloss answered by both of them.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kind words, It is an honour for all of us to perform before you and your Court, and we are grateful for this invitation to your table, there is no words" - said Aegloss trying to keep calm before the High King. The King nodded, and then turned to his right to Arya, he had seen her when he entered the room dressed in white and gold, and feel the effect like a blow to the chest, now he expected to have recovered from it and being able to talk to her normally. He had enjoyed greatly their conversation at the garden even if it had been too short. That's why he had situated her at the seat of honour in the hope of being able to talk her more.

"Arya and Gwedhil, you two look beautiful. My table is hardly graced with your like" - praised the King to both siblings, and continued - "And welcome again Faelyn, thank you for coming and bring you parents here as I bid you" - Faelyn assented formally to the praise, while Arya answered for her and Gwedhil who was usually more outgoing but found herself out of her deep at the King's table

"Thank you Sire, you are too kind, we were able to find something barely suitable for your table and your Court" - answered the blonde sarcastically, taking a look further down the table to the ladies of the Court who seemed to have felt aggrieved by the compliment to the foreigners in their detriment. Not that she cared a lot about their opinion, as she had already suffered in the past the nonsense of the kind of people who usually linger at Court.

Gil-galad allowed himself a smile at the diplomatic answer, noting the tone and feeling a soul mate in their opinion of court folly. He kept his enquires to Arya 

"Did you arrived without problems at the campsite?" - he asked her.

"Of course" - she answered - "Your soldiers were very useful and escort me right to the entrance. I also had the chance to talk to those in charge of the security of the encampment today, and we will be doubling our patrols and setting a few more places where to keep an eye out on our surroundings, no one will be able to reach us without our notice" - concluded the blonde satisfied.

"I'm glad, hopefully we will be able to find this pack and finish it before long. You said you have someone in charge of security. How do you organize it? You have members of all the races in the caravan participating?" - asked the King, including the other members in his question. 

"We have a number of members of each race who are part of the security force of the caravan" - answered Aegloss, who was in charge of the elvish coordination - "they patrol the campsite and our surroundings, set tramps around the grounds and send out scouts to make sure no danger get close to us".

"Is that really necessary, the King keep the Palace grounds and surroundings safe for us all. This is not the wild lands"- asked Lady Rínel, one of the invited ladies further down the table. 

Well, invited was a bit of a misnomer, Rínel was one of the reasons the King was so wary of beautiful _elleth_. She was a high lady of the Court because her family had been loyal since the crossing to Fingolfin's line. And because she was one of the most beautiful unattached ladies, she had pursued the King relentlessly when he first took the Crown. One hundred and forty years old at the time, but having lived most of his life sheltered at Balar, under Cirdan fostering, he wasn't ready to deal with someone like Rínel. Ambitious and vain, she was practised in several Courts, but having lived all her life at them, was very naive from the world outside them. So when she met Gil-galad, after having met both Fingon and Fingolfin she had found him disappointing, and being unable of seeing further than that, she decided to pursue him to gain his Crown but not for himself.

Gil-galad, a bit naive but not dense ended figuring her out, after he noticed her absolute indifference to his kisses and other romantic overtures, and broke off the relationship at once. The Lady had yet to accept that the King had no interest in her anymore, her last strategy was to get involved with his Captain to stay at the Court. He wished him the best of luck. Burned out by the experience, he kept having light and short affairs with those he didn't feel were expecting more of him. The reason she was there at that dinner was that she had been at the Court as usual and forced the invitation. Very fond of his Captain who was unfailingly loyal, he didn't want to offend him so he was forced to invite her after she asked him directly. Arya, who also was able to read between lines and know her kind started to answer.

"That's a very simple view of the world, madam" - said Arya looking her down - "The King and his army do their best to keep the roads safe, but the orcs, trolls, and the rest of Morgoth creatures, have not now or ever giving us notice of their movements, so it is possible at any time for them escape the patrols notice and attack to innocent travellers or towns. To think any different is to expect the King to be one of the Valar, and that is not so, even at Valinor, death came to us at the end"- ended the blonde, her gaze, glowing with the light of the trees, was hard to hold for most when she chose so, and Rínel lowered her own eyes flustered.

A small silence feel over the dinner table, most of them keeping their eyes averted from the King, Elrond and Elros at the reminder of their family loss at Valinor. Arya, who was actually the only one who had met Finwë and being there at his death, shook herself out of her memories and returned her gaze to the others, trying to shift the topic she looked at her foster father and said:

"You should know, your Majesty that is not only the security my father coordinates. Lord Elrond was able to see our street market where we sell wares of all kind, from weapons to jewellery" - smiled the blonde trying to lighten the mood of the room.

Gil-galad, who appreciated both the dressing down and the attempt to improve the mood of the dinner, smiled back to her and asked down the table to Elrond.

"Did you Elrond? How did you like it?" - asked the King to the half-elf, dismissing also Rínel from the conversation.

"It was captivating" - said the half-elf -"I was able to find weapons made for dwarves next to elvish jewellery. The quality was exceptional also, I bought my brother a dwarf dagger to go with Narsil" - added Elrond smiling to his brother.

"It is a fantastic work, Sire. I wish to come down to see this market by myself" - added the older twin.

"You are always welcome, my lord" - said Aegloss, proud as always of the caravan's displays.

With the mood so diverted, and an innocent topic on the table, the dinner's guests started to curiously interrogate the caravan's members. Besides Rínel, the King had chosen his invitees among the more tolerant and well-travelled of his Court, which would enjoy as him the experiences of the caravan. The dinner progressed smoothly now their more unpleasant dinner guest had been cowed down by Arya's words and the King outright dismissal. The King was able to enjoy his guests and was fascinated by the caravan's activities and adventures as related by the three siblings who, noticing the King interest, fought with each other by telling their more outrageous tales, particularly, as good siblings, those who left in evidence one of the others. Their parents looked on this with resignation and a certain amount of amusement, Gil-galad was especially interested in any tale which involved Arya, but noticed that they all were very recent from about five years old at most, that was significant. 

The dinner ended being a success and the family went back to the campsite with the promise of visiting from many of the guests, including both Elrond and Elros and the King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is my explanation of why Gil-galad didn't inherit the Crown after Fingon death and the doubts about his paternity. I've purposely used Fingon and Fingolfin Sindirin names as I was relating this as I have written it as it would have told at the Court. I'm trying to use Quenya names when Arya thinks of her past because I think the Noldor Exiles would keep using them in private.  
I'm going with the idea that elf babies had to be nurtured by both parents when the mother is pregnant, and that's the reason the mother can, not always but depending on circumstances, get wasted if she have to do it alone.
> 
> I'm also going with the idea of Gil-galad not being that beautiful, I liked Mark Fergusson portrayal of him at LOTR and am using that image while writing this, but as attractive as he is, I wouldn't call him conventionally attractive. Interesting and striking yes, but not as pretty as Legolas or Thranduil are portrayed. So he compensates by his charisma and good cheer, and for some ambitious people, the Crown is always attractive. Also while trying to get straight dates and ages I realize Gil-galad is hardly 171!! Arya / Glorfindel is robbing the cradle here, I'm tempted to put an age warning :). For my own peace I'm taking 50 as age of maturity for elves, after some research.
> 
> About Elrond and Elros choice, I loved keiliss' idea for the reason they made different choices, but I decided to make it a little different. They aren't that happy about the situation either but for a different cause. This way I portrait Eönwë no so heartless, although the final result end being the same I don't want to make that kind of AU for now at least :)


	7. Rescues and escapes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
It was a worrying thought that the revolting creatures had enough intelligence to use this ruse to avoid notice, that kind of foresight was something they had only been capable when they had a capable commander. She had thought that with Morgoth's disappearance they should have been left lost and leaderless, it was food for thought that they were capable of these choices.  

> 
> The King and Arya contrive to get closer, even in the middle of a crisis. It is getting closer to the time of truth and there are hints of the reasons Arya may have been sent back. Evils of the First Age are still present. Arya may want to choose fast or the choice may be done for her. 

Arya's eyes began to focus while she started to awake from her slumber. After returning from the King's dinner she had avoided her foster family questions by claiming to be tired, which was true. Aegloss and Maeroniel accepted her excuse and send her to bed, Faelyn and Gwedhil weren't very convinced but were held back by their parents and therefore the blonde had been able to reach her bed without any siblings trying to force her to talk.

Now she had time to sleep on it, she was still feeling confused by the previous day occurrences. Gil-galad was not what she was expecting, having met his predecessors, Arya was expecting a serious King bent over his responsibilities, asking for oaths of loyalty and shows of power. While it was a little unfair of her, as both her uncle _Nolofinwë_ and her cousin _Findekáno_ had been kind rulers who had reigned with fairness and courage, life at Gondolin at the end had left the blonde scarred. _Turukáno_ had tried to make a small piece of Aman in Middle Earth, but at the end, particularly after _Aradhel's_ escape and death, it had become a prison for his citizens. When Arya had returned to life and Middle Earth, it was this experience which made her decide to avoid her remaining family and their duties. She felt that she had given all of herself in her previous life until her death, and she didn't want to feel that she had wasted her life again this time around.

But after meeting Gil-galad, she was starting to doubt her choice, while she enjoyed her life at the caravan and didn't regret what she was doing or the people she had met, she was beginning to wonder if cutting herself off her blood family was the right thing to do. There was some of her blood relatives still alive, that she would want to meet again such as her cousin _Artanis_, and some new family like Gil-galad, Elrond and Elros that she was enjoying meeting now. She still didn't want to get involved in any Court schemes but she started to yearn for her former family, and question if she wanted to reintroduce herself to the ones who remained. She would need to think it through.

She went to the eating tent to pick up something to snack on the go, as she wanted to talk to the scouts. After picking some fruit and bread from the main table, she went to the central guard tent and found Amdir and Andwar there, they belonged to the permanent defence forces of the caravan, on the elves part, and usually scout around the area every other day.

"Amdir, Andwar good morning" - greeted the _elleth_ cheerfully. Both of them returned the greeting with curiosity, as she had a performance this evening and she should be at the exhibitions' tent getting ready for it with the band.

"I have some questions for you, there had been sightings of orcs, about ten leagues north of here by the King's scouts, but they have lost sight of them after the first time noticing them. They noticed before lost them, that they were going east from the base of the Blue Mountains. You know the terrain, what are your thoughts?" -related the blonde to the two other elves.

After inquiring about all the details Arya knew, both elves looked to the map pinned at the back of the tent, thoughtfully. Arya went to study it as well. This map was a copy of a detailed map made by a professional cartographer but modified by them as they went through the different regions. They had several copies of it and it was adjusted all the time. Tracing a line from the mountains to the east, the only thing they could see were the meadows until the course of the river Rhun, so they felt at loss of where the orcs could have gone. They couldn't have missed them in the open like that and they shouldn't have had the time to reach the next covered area in the time the King's troops left them out of their sight. Arya finally had to leave them to sort the problem if they could, and with the order of keeping an eye out for hints of this troop, while she went to practice for her show.

* * *

Elrond and Elros, with a few guards, went into the campsite of the caravan early on the evening, having finished all their duties and wishing to explore the site as promised. At this hour, the campsite was full of people looking for a good time. The older twin was intrigued by the mix of Men, Elves and Dwarves and tried to look everywhere at once. After a few minutes exploring around, someone hail them up: 

"My lord Elrond!" - exclaimed Thonor, while coming near, followed closely by Galasson. After reaching the twins he seemed taken aback with their likeness and comically looked to one and the other trying to figure out which one was the elf he had met previously. Elros decided to take pity on him -"Good evening, I'm Elros, Elrond brother. You must be one of my brother's guides when he came yesterday"

"My lord, it's an honour to meet you. I'm Thonor" - introduced himself the elf - "and this is Galasson" - he presented his friend - "Are you here to see Arya's performance?" - he asked them.

"We didn't know she was going to play, of course, we would like to hear her" -answered the older twin charmed by the straightforward elf and his lack of etiquette.

"She is up in a few minutes, we can take you there, come on" - Thonor said, leading the brothers to the big tent situated behind the street market, once on it, they looked for a place to sit, and waited for the show to begin.

When the lights were dimmed, Arya entered the stage. She was dressed in a flowing and colourful dress shaped in layers and shortened at places, with a skin-tight top. She and other male elf, dressed in dark leathers with his arms naked, went to the centre of the stage and started a sensual dance with a fast music, full of movement and complicated steps. They kept their chests together and Arya made complicated movements with her legs or they both crossed the stage in choreographed steps, it was hard to describe. The public was captivated, and cheered thought the actuation when the dancers made a specially difficult movement. When they finished the act, they bow to the public and abandoned the stage through the back, the twins and his companions also left the tent.

"That was an impressive act, I've never seen a dance like that" - commented Elrond 

"I'm pretty sure they wouldn't allow that kind of dancing at Court" - commented Elros drily, thinking of the daring movements and clothes.

"Oh, it is a kind of dancing the Men have at the South" - said Thonor - "We temporally joined to a company of men of the south two years ago, and they taught some of us to dance like that, the band decided to incorporate a few acts to our repertory once we came back north" - added the young elf.

"I didn't realize that you travelled outside the kingdom borders" - commented Elrond worriedly.

"We do sometimes, if we need the money and things here became too tight, or when the leaders decide that 'we need new public' or 'find new acts from varying influences'" - answered Galasson with the air of someone citing some else.

They had reached the market again by then, and Elros looked around with interest, particularly to the Men manned stalls. Even there, he could see the influence of the elves and dwarves cultures, being so closely mixed. He wondered if his realm would one day feel like this. They approached one of the stalls which sold figurines, including a whole set of chess. 

While they were arguing with the man in charge for the chessboard, another elf approached them from behind, it wasn't until he spoke up that they realized of his presence

"Good evening, my lords I wasn't expecting you here" - greeted Cirdan, the ship-maker.

"Good evening my lord" - greeted the twins at unison. The other two elves and the guard retired slightly to give them privacy.

"The King told me that you would be here exploring the caravan, my lords, how are you finding it?" - asked Cirdan curiously.

"It's very exciting my lord, this market is something else" - answered Elrond to the older elf, and continued curiously - "Did you know of it?"

"I've been at similar caravans before and markets, it is a good place to find unique items and even more unusual people, but I have to admit that I've never been in one like this, the organization is effective and I've never seen such a mixture of elves, men and dwarves working this well together"- commented the ship-maker, looking around impressed - "Ereinion told me about it and I couldn't resist the temptation to come and get a look, I also would like to meet this _elleth_ he has been talking about"

The twins exchanged looks at this late part, amused. Cirdan had fostered Gil-galad from a young age, being almost as much a father to him as Fingon were. He was very protective of him and they weren't surprised that he wanted to check out someone who had grabbed the King's attention. Elrond wasn't sure that he wanted to get involved in that particular mess so he decided not to mention that the elf he was looking for had just ended her act in the tent behind them. Elros must have reached a similar conclusion because he started into the previous topic:

"So you have never seen this kind of collaboration _hîr nin_?" - asked the older twin. - "Not even at the First Age? When our races were young and we hadn't learned to distrust each other?"

Cirdan seemed to reflect about that question, but ended denying with his head:

"No, we were curious about each other and shared knowledge more freely then, but we never mixed like this. The closest to it would be the Court of your foremother Luthien, when she and Beren created a life together, even then it was mostly an elvish Court with men influence at best" - concluded Cirdan.

Elros seemed a bit discouraged at this, Elrond got closer to his brother in sympathy, while he looked around searching for a new topic, he thought he saw a blonde figure stealing away over the corner of his eye, however by the time he looked at that direction no one was there.

Cirdan also tried to brighten up the older twin by ushering them towards the market explaining them the origin of the items they were looking at. The other elves rejoined them and tried too to distract the twins.

* * *

Arya took herself away from the twins and their visitor, she had almost lost it when she recognized the ship-maker while she was looking for the twins to say hello after she saw them at her play. That was a problem she hadn't thought before now, Cirdan had known her before. Indeed, she had never been a regular member of _Nolofinwë's_ or _Findekáno's_ Courts that Cirdan visited, and he had never visited Gondolin where she had been an established part of the Court. But they had crossed paths at the past a few times, her being a part of the royal family and a trusted member of her uncle's house. So, if she came up face to face with him, all her anonymity was over. She might be doubting if she had made the right choice keeping away from her family and the problems at the Court of the new King, and maybe she would decide to reveal herself at some point but she most definitely didn't want to be forced by meeting Cirdan. 

With that in mind, she decided that this was a good moment to make herself scarce and visit some places she had been meaning to go. So she went discreetly to the horse's pens and pick up her horse leading him to the entrance of the caravan, riding away after leaving notice of her goings-on to the entrance guards tent. She managed a successful escape and took the path away Naatheas and the palace, to the curse of the river Rhun up to the Mountains. 

While she had been watching the map with Amdir and Andwar, some thoughts have been running through her head. It was clear that the orcs couldn't have stayed at the fields, not only the King's patrols would have found them by now, but the sun wasn't a friend to them and they would have sought refuge, and there was none there. So she could only see two possible paths, that the orcs had turned back to the Mountains and find shelter there or that they have found some refuge at the plains. The King's scouts were probably counting on the first possibility, but Arya had experience with small hidden passes and tunnels, and she thought that maybe there was a chance of something like that being used to reach the river and escape notice of the elves.

So she decided to take a look at the river orography, and the kind of terrain which surrounded it to see if the idea had any kind of merit and worth pursuing. She reached the river soon enough and she took herself and her horse up the river trail looking around the terrain. As she expected from the maps, while she was going up the flow, the terrain started to raise, leaving the stream down bellow and high cliffs at every side. She would bet that through that bluffs, many natural caverns were formed, and maybe some of them were big enough to reach the meadows. If this was indeed what happened, It was a worrying thought that the revolting creatures had enough intelligence to use this ruse to avoid notice, that kind of foresight was something they had only been capable when they had a capable commander. She had thought that with Morgoth's disappearance they should have been left lost and leaderless, it was food for thought that they were capable of these choices. Deciding to turn back towards the encampment, before she ran into trouble, she started to lead her horse away when the sound of a fight reached her ears.

She looked around the area trying to pick up the source of the noise, not willing to abandon anyone in trouble but not wishing to recklessly run into it. The sound seemed to come from further up the stream, on her same shore, perhaps after a copse of trees who may have been hiding her from the view of the combatants. Choosing to come closer by using that same trees to hide her from the fight, trying to keep them between her and the action, she at least saw what was happening.

It seemed that the King guard had founded, by chance or design, the missing orc company. There, behind the trees in a small clear, a group of soldiers were fighting a bigger troop of orcs. Even if the fight was pretty unequal, three to one in favour of the orcs, the elves seemed to be holding themselves up. Before Arya could decide how to help, she noticed that one of the elves that had been dismounted during the fight, now fighting on foot, was being heavily attacked by the orcs. After a few moments, Arya recognized the King with surprise. She realized then that the orcs were trying to draw him away from his guard. Arya was in the right side of the fight to reach the King and decided to intervene at that moment. Taking out her sword and spurring on her horse, she entered the clear at a run, the King noticed her at once and understanding her intentions, cleared a path for her to get closer. She opened her side of the orcs' line trying not to lose the momentum and the advantage of surprise. Once she was within reaching distance, Arya offered the King her free hand up to her horse. Without the horse fully stopping, the King got behind her and making the most of the animal motion and bulk, and the strength of their combined swords, they broke the orcs' line and took themselves back to the guard's side. With the King securely within their lines, the King's Guard had now the chance to drive the orcs back and trap them between the elves and the river. After that, the fight was finished, the orcs tried to run but the guard picked them one by one with their bows. 

Rehtaro, the Captain of the King's guard, went to their side.

"Your Majesty, are you all right? That beasts seem to have grown some kind of intelligence, not only recognizing you but trying to drive you away from us. I was worried there for a moment when you got surrounded before the lady arrived" - asked the soldier worriedly. He seemed to had a few nasty wounds, the most noticeable, an ugly cut down the side of his forehead until his ear who was bleeding profusely, although probably the worst was his shoulder injury, which still had the arrow embedded although someone had broken the shaft. That was actually what had warned them of the attack, the arrow hitting him without warning from the trees.

"I am fine, Arya's arrival was serendipitous, I'm not even that hurt, but for a few bruises and cuts because of the fall after my horse's death" - answered Gil-galad, seated behind Arya with his arms surrounding her. -"We should take a look to that shoulder wound, but I don't want to linger here, this wasn't the full troop the scouts sighted, and the rest may be near" - added the King.

"If you can ride that far, the encampment is closer than the palace and we have good healers and supplies there we, at least, will be able to offer first aid" - offered Arya looking around the rest of the guard, trying to judge if someone would have problems ridding that far.

Agreeing that was the best course of action, they mounted the wounded behind the unhurt elves and started their way back. Gil-galad stayed behind Arya, he being the heavier and she the lightest and they lacking enough horses for everyone. Also, it suited Gil-galad and Arya didn't seem to want another arrangement. They didn't have the chance to talk as there was no privacy, and they were all tired and on the edge for more difficulties, but they secretly enjoyed the closeness with each other. At least, they reached the campsite almost at nightfall, and the sight of them arriving created a commotion. Some of the campsite guards went to them to help with the wounded and calls were made for stretchers and healers. Some stable boys and volunteers took charge of the horses, and they were directed towards the healer tent, usually underused but fully equipped as Arya had promised.

A bit apart from the commotion, while the healers took charge of the wounded, Arya took the King to a private cubicle, and seated him down on a chair to check him out. The King tried to avoid the fuss unsuccessfully:

"I am not hurt" -said Gil-galad

"Yes, I remember, only cuts and bruises you said. I believe you. That's the reason I am the one taking a look at you and not a healer. Let me help you while your men are being attended" - answered the blonde, already washing off the cuts on his face and starting to take off his over clothes.

"That's more than I usually take off this early" -teased the King, when she started to undress him. Used to army protocol, and also the laid back attitude of the caravan, Arya hadn't given much thought at what she was doing, but now she stopped momentarily and looked to the King to judge if he was truly offended by her actions, seeing him smiling teasingly, she decided to respond in turn 

"Well, you should feel honoured, I usually let my partners do their own undressing, so this is a limited time offer" - teased back the Vanya, feeling relieved. It had been a while since she had felt any responsibility for a King's safety. And even if they all had been her family and she had loved them well, there was something different in what she was starting to feel for Gil-galad. She continued taking off his shirt and after seeing his bruises, asked a healer assistant for some cream to soothe injuries.

"But there will be other offers?" - dared to ask Gil-galad, while they waited for the elf to return.

Arya looked to the King, took by the more serious tone of the question, even if it was made like a joke so she could wave it away if she wished. Thinking of what she had felt when she realized he was being surrounded by his foes and driven away from his escort as her cousin _Findekáno_ had been when he was killed, she had to be sincere:

"There could be another offers" - she answered sincerely, but before he could get his hopes up, she warned him - "But you don't know about me and my past, and you should be told that before anything serious could happen between us" - she said solemnly, while starting to spread the cream giving to her by the returned helper.

Gil-galad looked at her, now also grave, and thought about what was being said. From the start of their acquaintance, Gil-galad had been aware that Arya had to be something more than she was portraying herself. Not many Vanyar had crossed the sea to Middle Earth, and those who had usually had close ties with the royal family, who she was and how had she survived the First Age to appear now as a member of a wandering caravan was a mystery that Gil-galad had been turning on his head over the last few days. Now, Arya was all but admitting that her identity was something that affected the King closely. He was fully intrigued now and wanted answers. As a King, he wasn't used having to wait for them so he decided to clear this mystery once and for all:

"Who are you? Or maybe the question is who were you? I don't remember being told of an elf called Arya at my father's or grandfather's Court, and those of Vanya blood were few and well known" - asked at least the King.

Arya took a depth breath and got ready to answer.

* * *

It was only fate that at such moment a commotion was heard from the entrance of the healing tent. Arya and Gil-galad looked at each other with incredulity, but when the screams were heard outside, they had no choice but to go and see what was happening. Arya rushed out of the cubicle while the King picked up his shirt to cover himself up. Once outside, the blonde was able to locate the source of the noise immediately. Rínel was there making a scene before Rehtaro, like she was a widow just having lost her husband. Arya's foster siblings had entered after her, obviously having tried to detain her. Arya wasn't sure if she was crying out of fear of his wounds or from concern that they would be permanent and he got lastingly scarred. Confronted with that kind of character, Arya took an unconscious step back, right into the King chest who had exited the cubicle after her. He took hold of her shoulders half stabilizing her, half impending her to run away, which turned to be lucky.

The next moment, things got even more complicated. Rehtaro, who had reached the place where the healers had took out the arrow embedded in his shoulder, went into a seizure. His eyes went blank and he began to froth on the mouth. The tent progressed into chaos in mere moments. Arya, recognizing the symptoms, took charge of the situation:

"_Morthond_"- she exclaimed -"Gwedhil, Faelyn, get her out of here right now! And keep her away even if you have to tie her up" - ordered the blonde while crossing the tent towards the supplies -"We need to contain the infection, before it gets fully into his bloodstream" - continued the elf while picking some of the herbs she needed to make a cure, with the assistance of the others healers.

The healers made a tourniquet on the arm and above the wound at the shoulder, and cleaned the wound following Arya's instructions, giving her the time she needed to create the antidote. The King kept at hand but out of the way looking worriedly to his friend. It was a long night, having to constantly loosen the tourniquet and bleed him to avoid him losing his arm, but not allow the infection to spread the whole body. At last, when the sun started to appear at the horizon, the antidote was finished and they were able to administrate it, both spreading it at the wound and pouring it down the mostly unconscious elf's throat. Now they needed to wait and see if it took. Gil-galad leaded Arya to a chair, while everyone gave them some privacy. 

"It's now out of our hands" - said the blonde to the King - "We have done all we can and it is now up to him to fight off the infection. This is an evil poison, it hit more strongly to healthy elves, the antidote can give you a chance to fight it, but only that." - she concluded seating into the chair and putting her head into her hands. The King kneeled before her and put his hands over hers on her head, making her let go of it and lowering his forehead over hers, talking lowly and calmingly.

"You have done all you can, he would be dead by now if not for you. I never heard of that poison before, and I don't know if any of the healers at the palace have. You will have to come after all this to talk to them and share what you know" - said Gil-galad, keeping hold of her hands and caressing them to keep her focused.

"They should know about it, they spread the inside of the arrowhead, so you get the effect directly to the bloodstream inside the body. It took us by surprise the first times, and it is hard to counteract as you have seen. The antidote is not fast to make so we lost many elves until we learned to have it at hand and found a way to keep the poisoned elf alive until it was done" -said Arya, leaning gratefully into Gil-galad forehead. Now the worst of the rush was over, and she could focus her mind on other things, while she started to go through what had happened, she talked slowly, thinking her words:

"Gil, this poison _Morthond_\- may have been forgotten because it wasn't that common. Morgoth gave it away sparingly because the ingredients of it only grow in Valinor. It worries me that the troop which found you would happen to carry arrows ready with it in them. How came that you were at that field?" - asked the blonde. As close as they were, with their foreheads still touching, they could talk low enough to not be overheard.

Gil-galad thought of the reasons why he had been at that clear at such moment. The last scouts' reports had shown no sight of the orcs troop and with the raining season approaching, the King had wanted to inspect the river and surroundings to anticipate any problems. He had planned this outing weeks ago. The conclusion of this wasn't pleasant.

"I have a traitor in the palace" - said the King, darkly.

"You have a traitor, in the palace or close enough that they can spy on your plans" - agreed the blonde. At that moment, there was movement at Rehtaro's bed, he was awaking. The both of them raised from their places and went to him.

"Rehtaro, it is immensely good to see you awake" - said the King, taking hold of his hand. Arya stood behind the King watching happily.

"Thank you Sire, it is good to be alive." - said the Captain weakly, after a few false starts, because the numbing effects of the antidote. An assistant went to bring him water. After being helped to some sips, he kept talking - "I had strange dreams while under its effect. Dark and cold dreams of endless darkness and a cold path. I felt like I had to continue but I didn't know the end of the route" - continued Rehtaro, shivering with the memory.

"Those under the effects of the poison claimed to dream of the past, usually not even theirs, such as the awakening at Cuiviénen. It is disturbing but harmless as far as we knew" - intervened Arya at that.

Rehtaro seemed to calm a bit at that, and went into sleep from one moment to the next, being tired. Arya and Gil-galad abandoned the tent to leave him rest. Outside, Maeroniel and Aegloss were waiting for them, and hugged Arya relieved when they saw her. Arya returned the hug in kind. Aegloss then turned to the King worriedly:

"Your Majesty, we haven't sent word to anyone of your presence here, but this is a big caravan with many visitors. The word will spread fast, and the rumours of the attack even faster, you may want to make damage control before it goes too far" - said the older elf, well aware of the way that kind of things spiralled out of control.

Gil-galad nodded thoughtfully, and looked down to Arya, who had stayed right to his side.

"Rehtaro and the others cannot be moved, but I need to go up to the palace to stop any rumours, and start to investigate the attack. Can they be kept here, until they are enough recovered?" - asked the King, taking hold without thinking of Arya's hand.

Arya squeezed his hand in encouragement and answered

"They will be well attended here, we will care of them until they recover, you don't need to worry about them. What happen with Lady Rínel by the way?" - she asked then to her foster parents.

"Faelyn escorted her back to the palace with some of the guards. She has been ordered away from the encampment under threat of imprisonment if she try to return. She threatened to take her grievances to the King, but we didn't want to risk the Captain's health at her whims, the Palace Guard were very helpful. You should know that she has accused you of 'trying to steal her fiancé away' and said that she would add that to her accusations" - answered Maeroniel looking thoughtfully to Arya and Gil-galad's linked hands.

Arya took a breath, clearly asking for patience, and turned to Gil-galad:

"Do you want me here or back with you at the palace?" - asked the blonde neutrally, not sure of what she desired to do.

"Take care of Rehtaro, and the others, until they can be moved and then accompany them back to the palace if you can, I will go back now and start the damage control" - answered the King, and turning to Aegloss he asked - "Giving that most of my guard is hurt right now. Can you loan me an escort back?"

"Of course Your Majesty, we will send a full company of guards with you. This is not a light thing, this attack, you could be at danger even in such a short journey"- answered Aegloss.

"I will go with you and choose them personally" - added Arya, leading him away towards the main security tent, waving goodbye to her foster parents. They arrived at the tent and Arya used her authority to appoint the King's escort. They went to gather the horses, including a loaned one for the King, and Arya and Gil-galad were again briefly alone.

"I still owe you a tale, I will take care of Rehtaro for you and accompany him back to the palace. We will talk then" - said Arya looking up the King.

"I will be waiting for you but I know Rehtaro couldn't be at better hands" - answered Gil-galad taking hold of both of her hands loosely. They looked to each other for a few minutes in silence, aware of their time being short, finally, they reached their decision almost and the same time, closing the distance separating them and touching their lips into a kiss, their first. The kept it short because of the brief time they had. Arya closed the distance between their bodies and Gil-galad embraced her close, using one of his hands to caress her back while he held her nape with the other. Arya threw both of her arms around his neck to keep him near and went up the balls of her feet to feel him closer. The sound of the guards returning drove them apart. 

"I will be waiting" - said the King

"I will be there" - answered Arya, letting go of his hands.

The King followed his escort away and back to the palace. Arya looked after him for a few moments before returning to the healing tent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morthond: black root, a poison I've just invented with the symptoms and cure. Don't try this at home. Definitely
> 
> So, in this chapter, I've tried to describe "The Arena" as the act Arya does with another elf. It's hard to describe tango, but I hope it wasn't too bad.
> 
> Things are starting to pick up their pace. I hope to find the balance between things happening and they not feeling too rushed. Thank you so much to everyone who took their time to left kuddos or comments, they are much appreciated. I've found a better answer than I expected for this, and you are all the sweetest people.


	8. Many decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
"I didn't choose this life to run from danger, or leaving others to it while I safely retreated. That is not who I am" - said the blonde, realizing that was the truth, and continued, looking to the frightened members of the caravan - "I know you aren't soldiers, neither was I until I came to this lands"  

> 
> Arya is slowly coming to the conclusion that running away is not in her nature, as fun as this break has been for her. Gil-galad is concluding than his family is a mess, nothing new at that. They both got busy dealing with other people problems besides theirs. 

Gil-galad looked over the top of his desk, to all the reports, lists and maps he had spread there. He seemed to have more pending concerns than usual this evening, and most of them weren't about to be concluded soon. First, he was helping supervise the emigration of the soon-to-be Númenóreans. Cirdan helped with the construction of the vessels which would take the Men through the Sea to the promised island, but there were many other issues to take into account with a campaign of that size, getting all the supplies to get them started, gather information on their new land, have the right people trained into all the skills they would need to build an entirely new realm and culture, and many more. Technically Elros was the King responsible for all of this, but he was ninety-eight years old, not even in his first century and had no experience in ruling. It is true that Men matured faster than elves and Elros had taken that path a bit over thirty years ago, but he was still maturating closer to an elf than a men, having been promised a lifespan much longer than the average men, even the Númenóreans. All in all, it was giving Gil-galad a fair amount of headaches.

Another issue in his table was the attack next to the river Rhun. He had kept his own counsel on this, given the sensitivity of the issue, his first choice to investigate the matter was recovering into the campsite. With no trace about where the leak could have come, he was also drawing blank in this. Worse than that, it was making him jumpy and his closest councillors had noticed. 

Finally, on top of his scouts' reports was the last of his dilemmas. It was a letter from Arya, who had been sending reports of his soldiers' health and recovery status. As he had come to expect from her, the letters were a mixture of practical and outspoken, giving a clinical report of the progress of his men. As the messages came through different messengers, and had little guarantee of privacy, none of them have send anything too personal in them. Arya usually included some news of the caravans' doings and her performances, and Gil-galad send back the last occurrence of his councillors or updates in Elrond and Elros studies. It all felt very comfortable and ordinary, as they were a normal couple spending a few days away from each other, checking in every other day. As they had still not been able to talk about Arya's past, over the last few letters she had started to drop in a few clues of her previous life, as a dare to see if he was able to figure out who she was, while keeping it discreet to any misguided eyes who could intercept their communications. The last of that hints laid in her last letter, after reporting Rehtaro's almost recuperation, she reminisced about her late best friend:

_"...you should have seen him. His arm was broken in three parts, his face full of blood because of the hits he had taken during the fall. And there he was, saying that he was ready to keep patrolling until the next control point, just patch him up a bit. I was absolutely speechless, I could have tied him down and drop him on the top of his horse and he couldn't have fight me off, It was then when I decided that sharing duty with your best friend had their drawbacks, there was so many responses I could have given him but alas I was held back by my fondness of him. Your Rehtaro kind of remind me of Thel, brave and capable but lacking any common sense when it comes to his health and recovery, you don't mind if I tie him down to his bed, right? It would improve his healing, not only because he would mend faster but because it would spare him further wounds when the healers or I lost our patience and drop him into a ditch..."_

Gil-galad allowed himself a laugh at this missive, it reflected Arya's character very well, and also Rehtaro. This _Thel_ she mentioned, was a good clue, tantalizing but utterly worthless without more context or a complete name, _Thel_ was clearly a nickname thel: “to intend, mean, purpose, resolve, will”, this person had that syllable inside his name or had been nicknamed that because of his stubborn personality, giving the tales Arya was covering it was at least a bit of both.

Besides reading Arya's letters, Gil-galad had been investigating his own family tree, following the theory that with so few of those with Vanya blood who had crossed into Middle Earth, and most of them belonging to his family, it was a good place to start. He had studied his relatives looking for the branch of which Arya may have been born. The obvious answer seemed to be the Finarfinions, Arya's blond tresses and general appearance talked of quite a bit of Vanya's blood, and that was the lineage who had taken the most after them. He had five possible candidates: Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor, Orodreth and Galadriel. Three of those had been openly married and had acknowledged children, did it make any sense for them to have hidden one of them but not the others? Of the two unmarried ones, Finrod had left a fiancée back in Aman, and it was said that he had been still in love with her, still he was a living proof that it was possible to have children without any love or commitment, as soon as you were ready to sacrifice everything. Was Arya the result of a similar situation to his? as far as working with that theory, that didn't exclude even the married ones, and would explain her anonymity. 

A good way to prove or disprove this theory was reaching out to the one living descendant of that line. Only the thought of it gave Gil-galad a pause, did he want to write the Lady Galadriel to ask if she, or any of her brothers, had had an illegitimate child who could be running around Lindon? He wasn't that desperate quite yet, and it would probably be a loss of time giving that Arya had promised her full tale as soon as she could travel with the injured, and a reply of Galadriel would take more time to arrive. It was an amusing thought all the same. At that moment, a knock sound at the door of the study, the King called for entrance. Erestor started into the room quietly and closed the door after him:

"_Suilad_, Your Majesty" - greeted the elf, courteous. Although a minor aide, Erestor was a skilled elf that had been recommended by Gildor, he had been touring the towns at the other side of the river, checking their security and their readiness for the winter. He had left the night after the play, so he had missed the last events and was full of curiosity. Taking advantage of the need to report to the King, he would try to figure out the truth of the matter from the source. 

"_Mae g'ovannen!_ Erestor, you are back soon, how went the inspection? Will we find any difficulties come the winter?" -asked the King.

"It went" - answered the dark elf - "The towns were as ready as usual at this time of the year. And I meant that, they had not improved their protocols or taken advantage of the bountiful harvest this year to store more of it in case of something unexpected happens. They are happy doing what they have always done. It is all here" -concluded Erestor, a bit frustrated giving the King a stack of paper with his notes an observations.

"I am not surprised, it is the way of that things, the people get used to a way to do things and it is difficult to change them" - answered the King, sharing his frustration. He took the new reports and left them at his desk with all the others.

Erestor, having dispatched his news, and aware that once the King read his report he would be summed back for further questions, looked for a way to change the topic to the rumours he had heard in his way here:

"I heard a few strange things when I was coming back, your Majesty. You seem whole and healthy but there is word that you were almost killed a few days ago" - started the elf, cautiously.

"There was an attack next to the river, three days ago. But I was unhurt, it was Rehtaro who bore the brunt of the harm and almost got killed"- answered the King intently, and questioned further - "How spread are those rumours? I've been trying to extinguish them from the first day without success, it's like the lies spread faster than we can counteract them. I worry that the kingdom fall into panic before we can spread the truth" - said Gil-galad frustrated with the whole situation.

"I heard them two days ago at Mithlond. I haven't heard anything else, but then I came straight back after that inspection" - answered the other elf, and added - "Cirdan will suffocate that rumours soon enough there, but you will probably need to appear at a public place to calm the people" - he added.

"Fantastic, I'll put it in the list" - answered the King sarcastically.

"Something I can help with, Sire?" - asked the dark-haired elf, looking around the desk with curiosity. Seeing the genealogical trees, he couldn't avoid to ask, surprised - "You are studying your family tree? I hope you are not looking for someone to replace you" - he asked him jokingly.

"That's a thought" - commented the King, dreaming for a moment of running away to some faraway town to live anonymously. That Arya was there in his dream, was something he didn't want to study too closely. - "But no" - he doubted for a moment, and looked to the other elf closely, wondering if he could help him with this mystery and if he actually wanted for him to know.

"You can trust my discretion, Your Majesty" - assured the elf, sensing that the King was hesitating to ask him something.

"I know that Erestor, but this is a personal issue, not really important. I will be able to figure out it in a few days anyway. But there is something else who may use another set of eyes." - answered the King.

"I'm listening Sire" - answered Erestor, giving the trees a last curious look.

"As you know, I was attacked three days ago. We crossed paths with the patrol of orcs that the scouts had lost in the plains last week. I was with the Guard, inspecting the course of the river for potential problems once the rains come. We were attacked, and a few things stood to me after the fact. They were able to recognize me, even without any visible symbol and in full armour. And they were carrying a strange kind of poison that would have killed Rehtaro if we didn't have at hand a healer that was able to diagnosticate it. It was a remainder of the First Age and Morgoth kind of evil and it has been lost from memory, even ours." - explained the King, looking to the other elf to see his reaction.

Erestor, whose gaze had been gradually darkening during the King account, and fully seeing where this was going, started to talk.

"There is a spy" - he confirmed - "Now I see why you have been doubting who to trust, I'm honoured that you would tell me about this Sire. Who else knows about it?" - he asked

"Elrond has probably made his own conclusions, he has seemed shifty this past days looking to everyone, but we haven't gotten time to talk with his brother's preparations to leave now at full speed. And Arya and I talked about it after the attack, she agreed with me when I concluded that we had a spy" - answered the King.

"Arya? the violinist?" - asked Erestor surprised.

"Yes, she arrived when we were being attacked and saved my life. And then she led us back to the campsite for help. She was the one who knew the antidote for the poison." - said the King.

Erestor doubted for a few moments before saying the next words, fully aware that the King had been fascinated at the play by the violinist, and not knowing how further had the relationship progressed.

"Have you considered that she could have something to do with this?" - he asked carefully.

"I have" - answered back Gil-galad - "But I don't see how she could have known about my plans, and had made contact with the orc troop. Seeing as she was 50 leagues from here last week when they were sighted at the opposite side, and she was barely two hours at the palace the other day, preparing and acting, and not making any contact with anyone who could know my plans." - he went on going through all this mental processes, concluding - "I can't fully rule her out, or anyone else, but she and everyone on the caravan have been fully cooperative, she risked her life to save me, and she was the one to first point out the theory of a spy. It could all be a ruse to gain my trust but it seems very elaborate and needing from too many chances and knowledge that she couldn't know. For her to know it would point to a greater conspiracy".

"It seems unlikely, I have talked to her several times, and it doesn't fit the image I formed from her. Furthermore, it was me who point them out as an act to use at the festival, not them reaching out to us. And they were notified barely ten days ago, for her to have time to create this kind of ruse would be impossible." - concluded also the other elf.

"With that out of the way, we only have about a hundred of other suspects" - said the King acerbically.

"I will give this my full attention Sire, it is critical for your safety and the safety of the rest of us, to find who is selling you out and why. And cut it off by any means necessary" - added the dark elf, bowing to the King in farewell, and taking his leave after Gil-galad wave him away.

* * *

A few leagues away, at the campsite, Arya was also feeling very homicidal. The full caravan was having a meeting over the last safety concerns raised by the King attack. It had spread pretty fast that the poison used by the orcs was very mortal and very unknown and that the only one who had experience with it was Arya herself. The people was feeling understandably scared and wanted to find a way to be safe from this new evil, or this returned evil really. It was natural, but it had lasted for most of the evening carrying into the night now. Korlig, one of the dwarves representatives was talking at that moment, he was among the ones who were trying to keep calm and be rational

"This poison is not a new thing. It has existed for centuries and we now can fight it. The healers know about it and a supply of the antidote has been made. We are as safe as we can. Fully safety is impossible here or elsewhere in Middle Earth, we all know this." - concluded the Broadbeam, well aware of what he was saying as his people had repeatedly lost their homes.

"But how many poisons like that are out there waiting to harm us" - asked Llewellyn, the men representative, and one of those who felt that they need to take cover somewhere safe. If only there was such place or at least a consensus of where it was.

"There are as many poisons as the malice of Morgoth and Sauron had been able to dream them up" - answered Aegloss, and continued - "And many other evils that dwelt with us. I also wish to find a place for my family to be safe, but I don't know where is that place. And I don't believe that running heedlessly away is the answer" - he concluded putting his arm around his wife shoulders.

"There are two arguments to be made here, we need to decide if we want to stay here and reinforce our defences or leave for a safer place. Once we decide that we can argue about how to improve our defences or where to go respectively" - said Bronwyn wisely. Many around assented at this.

"This is a too important decision to be made only by us, the leaders. It will affect everyone, and there is risk with any choice, I don't believe that there is a right or wrong choice here. Only the choice of what risks we want to take. There should be defenders for each position exposing their opinions and after that, we should all vote" - said Aegloss. Again most of the people seemed to agree to this. Llewellyn spoke for all saying - "I think we all agree with this, who will speak for each position?" - he asked. 

Aegloss seemed to consider this and said

"I think we can ask for volunteers, it's not necessary that only one person take each position, they only need to be balanced out" - answered Maeroniel.

Llewellyn, volunteering to speak for depart, started:

"We should leave this place to somewhere away from the High King Palace, I know there is no fully safe place at Middle Earth but surely to stay this close to the centre of power of the Eldar can only draw more problems. We are wandering people, artists, artisans, people of peace, we are no fighters but in the direst need. We don't need to stay here as those who have chosen to tie themselves to a specific piece of land. The beauty of our lifestyle is that we can pick up our homes anytime we want and leave those problems behind. We should go south, the problems have originated from the North so we should go South"- concluded the Man. Some people seemed convinced by these arguments, and started to nod with their heads. After a few moments, Korlig took the floor

"That is a good argument. My people well knows about being forced to leave their houses after evil has encroached them. But it wasn't an easy choice and I wouldn't flee again from my chosen path because of the shadow of a threat. Neither would advise anyone to do it. You said that we can pick our things and leave for a safer place. But I said that such a place will only be safe if the people here stop this threat at their door. If they don't or can't it will spread South to our no longer safe place, and then what?" - argued earnestly the dwarf. Some of those who seemed to have agreed with Llewellyn at the start, doubted now. Another young man talked from the back

"But we are not fighters! You may be able to stay and protect yourself because dwarves are capable fighters trained for it even if it's not your trade. And elves have natural skills which allow them to hold themselves in a fight. But I'm a Man and an artisan. I don't know how to defend myself" - argued seriously.

"I agree... with Korlig" - intervened Arya after a few moments of heated debate. - "I didn't choose this life to run from danger, or leaving others to it while I safely retreated. That is not who I am" - said the blonde, realizing that was the truth, and continued, looking to the frightened members of the caravan - "I know you aren't soldiers, neither was I until I came to this lands" - a great silence fell at that, Arya had never before referenced her past, until now - "I became a warrior because it was what my people needed. Because it was what I needed, to be the person I wanted to be, to keep me and my people safe. That was my choice then and it still is my choice now. You don't have to make the same choice, and many of you have small children who need to be taken into consideration, but staying here doesn't mean that you need to become a warrior anymore that it had meant it so far. I don't believe that the danger is pointed towards us, any more than it has been in the past. This orc troop was stronger and more capable than average, and it won't be the only one out there. Your real strength lies in you staying together. It has not been my experience that running and hiding it's the real solution, evil ends finding you regardless" - concluded the blonde, with her head lost in the past. Faelyn looked his foster sister alarmed, as he had heard something in her words.

"You sound like you are not meaning to participate in this vote"- he asked, sotto voice while the caravan's members argued about this last arguments.

"Llewellyn is right about one thing, this attack was pointed towards the King, and he and his people are the ones most in danger. If any other poison arises, it will be here. I can't leave when my presence can make the difference between life or death for someone" - said Arya to her family which had surrounded her. - "With that in mind, I can't vote either way, knowing that I will be staying regardless the caravan's choice" - concluded the blonde. Maeroniel hugged her foster daughter warmly, having heard a lot of sentiment when the Vanya warrior mentioned the King in danger.

Aegloss, who had been watching all this, forced to stay at the head leading the debate, decided to ask for a voting. After a few false starts, and miscounting, finally it was decided that the caravan would hold their ground there. The caravan dispersed and the family went to the parents' truck to talk.

Once inside, Arya decided to take the bull by the horns:

"We had never talked about it, I've never said anything and you haven't asked before. But it is not a secret that I was born at Aman in the Years of the Trees. " - started the blonde.

"Yes, we figure out that at least" - said Faelyn, apprehensive of what was coming.

"This is something I owe you and Gil to tell you about" - continued Arya, waving away the raised eyebrows at the name of the King, and continued uncertainly - "I was born at Taniquetil, my mother was half Noldor and half Vanya and my father was Vanya. I followed my mother kin into Middle Earth via the Helcaraxë, but my father died at the crossing and my mother felt so lost after that that she went into Doriath the moment she could."

"That's terrible for the both of you" - said Maeroniel, taking her foster daughter hand between hers. Arya smiled a bit in gratitude and continued.

"I lived at Fingolfin's Court until I left with Turgon for Gondolin"- she continued, deciding to leave out, for now, the reasons she had gone and the circumstances that had made her stay against her will, what would come now would be hard enough even without that - "I died there the night Gondolin was attacked"- she continued and wait for their response. The silence was complete, none of them knew how to react, and looked to each other at loss. Finally Gwedhil decided to talk:

"You died...figuratively?" - asked dubiously.

"I was dragged by a Barlog down to an abysm while we killed each other. It was real, trust me" - said the blonde dryly. That description sounded familiar to Aegloss

"You were dragged by a Barlog, like ... Glorfindel ... " - while he was asking that, Glorfindel description came to mind, despite of some Men tales, Elves knew that Glorfindel had been an _elleth_, Vanya-blonde, tall with blue eyes and a fair fighter, Maeroniel also seemed to have reached the same conclusion because she had let go of one of Arya's hand to take it to her mouth in surprise. Arya smiled at this, and answered - "Yes, just like that" - Faelyn and Gwedhil looked between Arya and their parents.

"Glorfindel, that's your true name" - said Aegloss at last.

"Arya is also my name, _Aryantë_ actually, my mother-name, but little used, and almost none knew it so I could use it safely" - added the blonde.

"But if you were killed, how did you arrive here?" - asked Gwedhil.

"I don't know" - answered Arya - "I awake at the shore the night you find me, I don't remember anything between my death and that night" - she continued. Her family looked at each other wordlessly, not knowing what to say at that.

"Have you thought of asking someone?" - asked Aegloss doubtfully.

"Who?" - answered Arya - "I was scared at first and then angry. And I couldn't think of anyone to question. And then I decided to stay hidden and I couldn't ask anyone then, It would reveal myself and I didn't want that" 

Something was lacking yet from this relate, Glorfindel had been a trusted commander for Turgon, and friends with his family. Aegloss knew that it had to be a connection there, and asked

"Who was your Noldor family, the one you followed here" - he asked, Arya smiled even more at that

"My mother was Lalwen, daughter of Finwë and Indis" - answered back the blonde, now with all the cards on the table.- "I followed Fingolfin here and Fëanor"

"So you are royalty" - exclaimed Faelyn

"Barely, I was daughter of a princess, all the grandchildren of Finwë were giving the title of princes and princess but the royal line went elsewhere." - dismissed the blonde, and added - "My family was very discreet, here at Middle Earth I was able to stay out of the spotlight mostly. 

"Until you got killed by a Barlog" - said Gwedhil irreverently.

"Yes, until I got killed by a Barlog" - admitted the blonde, and continued - "I haven't gotten the chance to talk this with the King, I need you to keep this under wraps for now until I do, he deserves to hear it from me" - she asked, her family nodded immediately understanding. Gwedhil couldn't help to tease her thought

"You are related! And you knew his father, and grandfather, and grand-grandfather" - she said.

"Yes, yes" - laughed the blonde - "His grand-grandfather which we share by the way. I'm also way older than him, don't remember me" - added, under the laughter of her siblings. After that, they decided to retire, the next day would bring a lot of work, as they have decided to stay, now they needed to make it as safe as possible. 

Arya was planning to leave the next day for the palace with the wounded, who were now healthy enough to be transported back. There, Gil-galad was waiting for her explanations. Hopefully, he would take it as well as her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Suilad_: greeting  
_Mae g'ovannen!_: welcome  
_Aryantë_: daybringer  
_arya_: adjective. excelling, excelling, *better
> 
> Thel: well, if you haven't figured out who this is, I will not tell you although it seems easy, right? just to tell that I didn't invent the nickname, I have read it in several other stories, I couldn't point it which one would be the first to use it. If anyone knows I will be happy to give them credit, sorry for borrowing it, but I found it clever and appropriate.
> 
> Hopefully, there is still some interest in this, I know that once I've started to make decisions about the plot, some people will start to lose interest if it doesn't follow where they were expecting, but I hope I manage to reach someone, I'm still having fun writing it so I will persist :). Thank you all still there, hope you enjoyed it.


	9. The hour of the truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
"I am sorry, I can't imagine having an infancy like that. Our crossing into Belerian was terrible and we weren't ready for it or for what it was waiting for us here. But I had a happy and safe childhood. I can imagine that it grieved Finno that he couldn't give you the same."  

> 
> Arya at least have the chance to put all the cards on the table. In the middle of an invasion of elves and a few more attacks of course. Anything else would be too easy 

Gil-galad was standing in the inner patio of his palace waiting for his wounded Guards to arrive with Arya. Five of them had stayed with the caravan with various injuries, being Rehtaro the worst off. It had been four days since then and Rehtaro was much improved but had to be taken back to the palace in a cart. He had accepted this with little to no grace. At least, the detachment of guards appeared at the end of the hill reaching the castle. The carriage with the worst injured at the front and the two Guards who had been sent to escort them back at the back with Arya.

Being able to see her after four days made the King feel reckless. In a movement more typical of his father than him, he moved to intercept Arya's horse. Once he reached them, he put one hand at the harnesses looking up to the blonde. Arya was looking at him amused, pleasantly surprised by the welcome. With the horse fully stopped, Arya went to dismount. Gil-galad helped her, putting his hands in her waist and helping her to lower herself into the ground. Once there, taking advantage of the nearness and his arms still surrounding her, Gil-galad brought her closer to himself and looked down to her while she looked up at him, they met in the middle in a passionate kiss closing all possible distance between their bodies. Arya ended flat against the King's chest in tiptoes to reach the taller elf's mouth, with her arms around his neck, while Gil-galad drew her into his embrace fully encircling her with her arms. Around them, people pretended to give them privacy, but was truly looking at them sideways, surprised by the unexpected scene.

None of them seemed to pay attention to their surroundings until a scream was heard at the courtyard. Rínel had just entered the yard and saw Rehtaro. She was once again acting like the world was ending, both crying hysterically and recoiling from the Captain. Rehtaro had recovered admirably from the poisoning, but the treatment was harsh and he had lost much blood. He looked tired and emaciated, the scar on his face showed starkly in his pale skin. Both Arya and Gil-galad went to the captain to try to diffuse the situation. The King signalled to some of the Guard to come closer. 

"Lady Rínel, Rehtaro has just started to recover from a very dangerous poisoning, he needs to get inside and rest, these two soldiers will help him in. You can accompany him if you wish to help him out with his healing" - said the King indicating with his hand to the two soldiers to help his Captain inside.

Rínel seemed to regain slightly her composure at the King presence and turned to him looking as ashamed

"I am sorry your Majesty, it was the surprise to see him so injured. He was fine the other day, how had he been treated at that place to become like this?" - she said, looking to Arya in accusation.

Arya looked back impassibly, inspecting the other _elleth_. She was, she admitted, a classical beauty. Tall and slim with long dark hair and grey eyes. She also, in Arya experienced eyes, seemed to be vain and shallow, she was feeling very sorry for the attractive captain. Looking towards Rehtaro, she answered to the accusation:

"He seems fine to me. He is actually alive which is better of what it could have been, he will recover in no time, if he feels that he has been ill-treated at the encampment...." - trailed off the blonde, leaving plain that the only opinion that worth something was Rehtaro's and she didn't considerate that Rínel talked for him in any way. Rínel seemed about to rage towards the blonde, and Arya was enjoying riling her up, both to keep her attention on her while the two guards helped their Captain into the palace and as a way to try to take her measure and see why she was acting that way. 

"You can't understand how someone of my position feels, my love of Rehtaro despite our differences in status, my sacrifice... " - started the brunette, Arya interrupted this nonsense.

"You are certainly different, Rehtaro is a hero, he saved the King's life. I'm sure he will be greatly honoured for his actions once he recovers" - said Arya, and seeing that Rehtaro was safety out of the way, she turned back to the King who had been watching all this amused and with a certain degree of satisfaction. With Arya attention back on him, he said

"Let us go inside, you promised me a tale, and I've been waiting for it the last four days" - concluded the King, picking up Arya's hand and leading her inside the castle, leaving Rínel alone outside, trying to figure out where they had taken the captain.

Arya and Gil-galad entered the castle towards the King's study, once there Gil-galad showed her inside and closed the door after the both of them. Arya looked around the place in curiosity, it was a big room, in warm browns and red colours, with a huge fireplace at the right wall and Gil-galad's desk before the window on the left. In front of the fireplace was a settee, and there is where the King lead her. They took a seat at the love-seat next to each other. Gil-galad waited for Arya to start her story, she found it even tougher to tell Gil-galad than her foster family

"I was born in Aman at the Years of the Trees" - she started for the second time in as many days - "My father was grandson of King Ingwë, my mother was Lalwen daughter of King Finwë" - she said, deciding to go straight to the core of the matter and wait for Gil-galad reaction, she didn't need to wait long.

"Lalwen!" - he exclaimed surprised, and continued - "Lalwen, my father and you are cousins, but how comes I never heard about you?" - he asked surprised trying to remember the family tree which he had been studying, clearly looking to the wrong family branch.

"My parents' marriage was discreet. My parents and I joined Fingolfin's host to cross to Middle Earth, but when my father died at the Ice, my mother lost her heart and once we arrived here, she went into Doriath and never left again as far as I know. I joined my uncle's Court, but kept a low profile. Then I joined Turgon's adventure into Gondolin and we mostly faded out of sight until its fall" - she concluded.

"We are cousins" - said the King, looking at her in wonder.

"We are, of a kind, cousins once removed or something like that. I was Finno's cousin" - she said.

"You knew my father" - he replied

"Of course, we grew together, he was only a few years older than I. _Maitimo_ used to babysit us both when our parents were reunited by something at Tirion" - she smiled at the memory - "The poor boy, _Findekáno_ was a hellion and he wanted all his attention even at that age."

Gil-galad listen to this fascinated. Most of the people who had talked to him about his father were those who had known him at Belerian. It was different to hear about him from someone who had met his as a child, and he had never heard anyone talking of Maedhros with that fondness. Still, he was stuck on something.

"I still don't understand how I've never heard about you" - he insisted, rising to look to the family tree he still had spread at the table.

"You have heard about me. Arya is a nickname from my mother-name _Aryantë_, my father name was _Laurefindil_, you may have heard about me as Glorfindel." - she dropped the last surprise, wanting to have it all out.

Gil-galad who had been tracing Lalwen name at the tree, not expecting this surprise, turned back to look at her. There it was at his settee, Glorfindel one of the heroes of the First Age. Like many others, he had heard of the fall of Gondolin and Glorfindel's sacrifice to save the survivors including what it was left of the Royal family. And how Thorondor, the King of the eagles, bore her out of the abysm to be buried with honours. He seemed doubt as what to say, while Arya looked on apprehensively. Seeing this, Gil-galad went closer, kneeled before her and took her hands.

"I can barely believe what you are telling me, but I have to. I can see in your eyes the truth of your words. I can't even start to imagine what you have lived through, but as happy as I am to have you here, why have you been send back?" - he asked.

"That's a good question. I will get back to you when I'm told the answer. As of right now, I don't know. I woke at the shores of Middle Earth without a by your leave. No one has taken the trouble to explain me anything. I decided to keep a low profile, I stayed with the family who find me. Before I was compelled to become a warrior I had training as a dancer, and of course, all the Noldor and Vanyar know how to play many instruments. So their wandering company was a good fit for me" - she smiled.

"You are amazing, I can imagine the theatres of Tirion lost a great deal of talent with the Flight of the Noldor" - teased the King. Arya laughed at this, never having heard their rebellion, the Kinslaying at Alqualonde and their flight put like that.

"Yes, that or an engineer or a smith, I was trying one different thing every week. My uncle despaired of me after he accepted me at his forge, he felt that I had the obligation of seeing it through. I had to persevere at that more than most others, which actually turned to be fortuitous when we arrived here" - she continued relieved with Gil-galad reaction.

"Your uncle? You mean Fëanor?" - he asked surprised.

"Of course" -laughed Arya -"You don't think that my uncle _Nolofinwë_ or _Arafinwë_ have ever seen the inside of a forge right?" - and she continued amused - "but I understand the confusion, you have only heard of _Fëanaro_ as the creator of the Silmarils, and after he started to get bat-crazy. That is not the uncle that I remember, he was clever, quicksilver, skilled and focused. He never fully accepted his father's second wife and their children, particularly the males, he felt suspicious of them and not loved them as his siblings. But to their children, his nephews and nieces, he was kind and welcoming, I think he hoped for us to become his loyal followers and he couldn't only count with his children as many as aunt _Nerdanel_ gave him. I learned of the secrets of the forge at his hands, and _Maitimo's_ as did many of my cousins, including your father. You didn't think that his and _Maitimo's_ friendship started with the family at each other's throats, did you?" - she concluded their family's story.

"I was too young when my father send me to Cirdan, to have been able to ask him about his past. My grandfather died when I was barely ten years old. And everyone I ever met that knew my father after I grew older, were those who had met him here" - revealed Gil-galad. Arya was the one now to squeeze his hands in sympathy drawing him up into the settle.

"I am sorry, I can't imagine having an infancy like that. Our crossing into Belerian was terrible and we weren't ready for it or for what it was waiting for us here. But I had a happy and safe childhood. I can imagine that it grieved Finno that he couldn't give you the same." - she took one hand and caressed his face. Gil-galad closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, turning his face toward her caressing hand to kiss her palm. Arya smiled and returned his kiss, closing the distance between them. They started to kiss again and again, for a few minutes, until there was a commotion in the hallway and a knock at the door. 

"Enter" - called the King after they composed themselves. Erestor entered the study promptly and talked to the King.

"Your Majesty, there has been another attack at the northern plains. And worst, the scout's were returning here to warn us and were delayed. There is a bad storm coming from the north, they were worried that it will hit us strongly here and maybe even overflow the river, it had too strong winds which could cause a sea temporal" - he concluded. Arya and Gil-galad raised from their seats at that. The King went to his desk to study the map there.

"These three towns will need to be warned, the attack will have to wait, as we need to send troops to help out the people. We will have to inform the caravan too, your trucks and tents will not resist a temporal like this." - he added to Arya, she nodded at this and said.

"I will leave at once, to prepare them. We will need to take apart the tents and move to a more sheltered position" - she said, looking at the map thoughtfully.

"Come here, you can leave the trucks behind the palace, sheltered them a bit by the building and took the people inside here to be safe. Actually" - he turned towards Erestor - "Most of those towns are too far to be practical, but offer the palace protection to those in Naatheas if they wish."

Arya and Erestor nodded their agreement and got ready to leave. Erestor left after a parting look to the couple, but Arya went to the King to gave him a goodbye kiss.

"Be careful, take a guard with you when you leave. And return as soon as you can"- said the King, returning the kiss, and letting her go reluctantly.

"I will be careful, you should get ready for an invasion, you have offered your home recklessly, we are about eighty at the caravan" - she said, starting to go to the door.

"This palace can take that and more, only bring yourself safely and I will host you all" - answered the King. Arya smiled in farewell and left quickly.

* * *

Arya took a look around her truck, everything seemed to have been tied down or stored safely. Now she only had to hook it up to her draft horses. She had two of them _Calan_ and _Fuine_, besides her riding horse _Fallë_. She went outside and looked to the horizon, the temporal was coming fast, and clear as anything right now. When she came back to the caravan, it was a bit chaotic to organize the evacuation as the people who just had decided to stand their ground didn't want to move now even if only a few leagues. Luckily, the guard who had accompanied had heard the scout's reports and painted a dire situation to come, with full winds and overflowing rains and even a thunderstorm. People started to pack up after that, Arya was one of the last to start as she had been helping out to take apart the common tents and some of the artisans stands. As she was usually very organized, she didn't need as much time to pack up her truck, as it was she had finished before many others. Now she was outside again she could start to feel the winds and humidity precluding the arrival of the storm. All around her the other elves were also starting to hook up their horses and move their trucks towards the path to the palace.

Arya lead _Calan_ and _Fuine_ to the front of the caravan speaking at them lowly in Quenya. Although it was supposed to have been prohibited by Thingol, Arya had never stopped to use her native language in private. Thingol had ignored all that happened outside his realm but believed that he had the right to condemn their language? Arya supposed that it was lucky that no one thought to send her as emissary to that kingdom, although it wouldn't have made that much of a difference. Once she hooked both horses and asked _Fallë_ to stay abreast the truck, she mounted at the front and took the reins of the carriage and started to the path. Her siblings had already left for the palace with the first group of people to have someone who had already been there, when they started to invade the place. Their parents would be with the last to leave to be sure that everything got carried away and no one found difficulties. Arya had offered to stay back also, but Aegloss asked to go to the palace to keep the things as calm as possible.

Once they started on the path to the palace, Arya noticed that they had been joined by some of the town duellers, relocating also for the palace. Arya offered a place at his truck to a young couple who had been walking with a little boy. She put the boy Thanion on her lap and gave him the reins to distract him, her horses were well trained and easily ignored the confusing signals of the child. His parents in the meantime, told Arya a bit about themselves, they were from a family of sailors who fished around the coast. The mother, Alphel, was a seamstress, the father Cairon, worked at a vessel who had Naatheas as main harbour. They had a small house close to the coast and had been worried that the temporal would flood it. They didn't want to risk their son's life, so when the warning and the offer of shelter came from the King, they didn't doubt to take a small sack of their things and leave. They had been relieved to cross path with the caravan and even more grateful for Arya's offer of a ride there, they had been worrying about getting caught by the storm at the road. 

At that moment, screams of panic sounded right at their front, a small troop of orcs, had appeared from the covert of a small hole next to the path. How they could have gotten there, so close to the palace, Arya found highly suspicious but left to analyze later on. She took action immediately, passing the boy to his mother and the reins to Cairon while ordering them.

"Cairon, keep hold of the reins and stay low. Alphel go with Thanion inside and stay quiet" - Arya ordered while climbing to the top of the carriage while taking out her bow. She immediately shoot an arrow almost without needing to aim, taking out the nearest orc. There was barely a dozen of the creatures and they were dispatched quickly by Arya and the other guards. Arya took the last orc out jumping out the carriage cutting off its head with her sword. She took a look around taking stock of the attack and the other members of the caravan, no one seemed to have been seriously harmed. The guards had started already the gruesome duty of picking up the bodies to burn them together at a small pyre. Arya left them to it and took the reins again from Cairon, he seemed to have been frightened by the action, so Arya offered him to get into the carriage with her family while she lead them to the palace. He took her offer and got inside. Arya kept driving them into the castle, brooding about the senseless attack, while the shadow of the fort kept getting closer.

* * *

Gil-galad looked at the stream of people invading his castle and reminded himself that he was the one who had made the offer. At the inner courtyard of the castle, sheltered by the structure of the buildings, the King was having a big tent mounted. Also, the main hall and the ballroom was being transformed into a big common dormitory. The idea was, that the tent at the courtyard would be used only if necessary, but everybody would stay inside.

One of his guards stopped in front of him, and Gil-galad indicate him to speak

"Sire, the caravan has been attacked at half a league from here. The enemies were repelled and there is no serious wounded" - the guard rushed to give the full message. Gil-galad nodded gravely, waving him away. Elrond and Rehtaro who had been standing near and heard the report, came closer to the King.

"This made no sense. How can they be getting so close to the castle?" - said Elrond frustrated. 

"They can't have reached as close as half league to the castle without the scouts or the guard seeing them" - said Rehtaro angrily. - "Sire, this is my responsibility, I am the one who plans the patrols and pick the men for them. I want to find the reason they are coming this close and why. And stop it." 

"Rehtaro, once this temporal has passed you have full authority to investigate this issue. I also don't like this situation and want it over and done. Coordinate with Erestor, he is also studying the circumstances" - ordered the King. At that moment, a vision from the entrance took his attention and that of his companions. A blonde head had appeared at the doors of the palace, she had a small boy in her arms and a young couple, presumably the boy's parents was following her with a lost air. Gil-galad went to them, followed by Elrond who had heard a lot from Gil-galad previous welcome of Arya into the castle and wished to see it in person.

However, Gil-galad was prevented from doing anything too familiar by the small boy in Arya's arms. He came up to her and hesitate for a moment, Arya smiled at him and raised her head for a kiss that he gave willingly, keeping it caste for the sake of the small boy who looked at him and his circlet, symbol of his status, with awe.

"Gil, this is Thanion, and his parents Alphel and Cairon. Thanion helped me out to lead _Calan_ and _Fuine_ here." -said the blonde lightly, and continued the introduction - "This is the High King Ereinion Gil-galad and your host"

"_Calan_ and _Fuine_?" - asked the King sidetracked as he was usually with Arya.

"The horses, but I only lead them until the monsters came" - said the little boy, less in awe than his parents when he saw that Arya talked to the King like any other elf.

"Until the orcs arrived" - agreed Arya -" and then you went bravely inside and stayed there until it was safe, and you also did this very well" - said the Vanya with a smile, squeezing him gently.

"That was very brave, I'm thankful that Arya had such a bold companions" - said the King, touching the hand to his chest in a signal of respect. Arya smiled to the King, amused and charmed by him. The King signalled to an aide and continued -"They are serving food at the main room and setting spaces to sleep for everyone, you should follow Hálon there" - Arya nodded encouraging to the couple while passing Thanion to his mother. The child left the blonde grudgingly and only accept it when Arya promised to look for him later. The couple then left with the aide.

"That boy has good taste" - commented the King, now free to put both of his arms around her, and kissed her thoroughly. Arya went willingly in his arms and then took advantage of his height to burrow into his chest. Gil-galad hug her strongly and tuck her under his chin, rubbing her back calmingly. 

"It was only a dozen orcs, but I didn't like for them to be that close to the children. When I figure out who is selling our children to the orcs, I will throw them into a deep prison to wait for the Valar's mercy, maybe Ulmo's" - said the blonde, shaking angrily. 

"I will certainly help you" - intercede Elrond, who had kept discreetly away until that moment to give them privacy.

"Elrond! I didn't see you there I apologise" - said Arya surprised, raising her head from Gil-galad chest, but not moving further away. Gil-galad was enjoying Arya's character and lack of self-consciousness. At his previous relationships, especially the one with Rínel, it had all been about appearances and showiness and nothing about real feelings and spending time together. It had been becoming clear that Rínel had only took his hand or allow him to touch her when she could use it to show off her influence. Arya, however, touch him at any moment, public or private, with or without public, and only changed the intimacy of the contact for politeness' sake. It was also a balsam to Gil-galad's pride that she took so visible pleasure at touching him, he had found very hard at the start to get past his hang-ups to kiss her, thinking himself not handsome enough for someone so beautiful. Arya, contrary to Rínel, didn't seem to find anything unequal in their appearances. Rínel had made it like he needed to be deeply grateful for her forbearance in allowing him to touch her. Elrond smiled charmingly to the blonde and decided to tease her and his cousin.

"I noticed that, I'm sure that the whole temporal and Ulmo himself could have came through here and you wouldn't have spared them a look" - said the half-elf entertained.

"Maybe the temporal" - said Arya back, turning around towards Elrond at last, but keeping her back to Gil-galad's chest. The King released her grudgingly but kept his arms around her in this position. Arya continued thoughtfully - "but I don't know about Ulmo, he is quite tall and I'm reasonably sure than the ceiling falling on us by him crashing through it would have been noticeable" - she said musingly.

Elrond raised his brows at this casual comment, like knowing the height of one of the Valar was common knowledge, he tried to enquire a bit further in this.

"Have you ever meet him in person?" - asked the _perendhil_

"They all used to visit Manwë at a time or another, and his residence was close. Some interacted more than others, but you could usually get sight of them at some point" - answered back the blonde looking up to the King, wondering if he had told something of her past to his cousin. Gil-galad denied slightly with his head at the silent question.

Elrond absorbed the answer and thought of someone else:

"What about Lord Eönwë?" - asked the half-elf.

"Eönwë? Tall, silver-haired, violet eyes? That Eönwë?" -asked Arya taken by surprise by the question.

"Yes, you know him them" - said the King surprised also.

"Of course, he is one of Manwë's main Maiars. He used to mingle among the elves and took us as children to teach us about the beasts and their language. Or lead us to the river and show us how to swim. He was kind, and so pretty that I remember as a child clinging to him and wanting to have a hair like his" - answered back the blonde reminiscing. Elrond and Gil-galad looked to each other trying to reconcile Manwë's mightiest warrior with this happy childhood memory. Gil-galad also started to see an answer to Arya's questions.

"You may want to talk to him again, then?" - asked the King.

"He is here?" - asked back the blonde shocked.

"He stayed after the war, until Elros and his people sail for Númenor. He has been teaching them the skills they need in their new life, and kept an eye on the whole enterprise" - answered the younger twin.

"I would like to see him again, although I don't know how he will feel about seeing me giving the circumstances" - commented the blonde looking to the floor unhappily.

"You are a hero, he will be proud to see you again" - said the King firmly. Arya smiled to the King gratefully but not fully convinced.

"We rebelled Gil. No matter what happened after that, we rejected the Valar's protection and teachings and left. Eönwë was a friend to us and we left without a word or warning" - she said sadly, and then shook herself against the memories - "Regardless, I would like to try and see if he will talk to me, I will look him up after all this. Now, then, where am I sleeping?" - she asked with a teasing smile.

Elrond bowed in farewell, not wanting to know that detail. Gil-galad looked to the blonde with a smile and said

"I don't know, I think I have a settle in my study you could occupy. Or..." - the King trailed off while Arya kissed him, not leaving him finish. She said after having shut him up fully - "Let me rephrase that. I'm taking your room, direct me to it, please" - said the blonde with a smile

The King laughed at this and picking up the bag of belongings which had been dropped at the floor all this time, he lead her up to his private rooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> calan_ day, period of actual daylight (Arya draft horse)  
fuinë_ deep shadow(Arya draft horse)  
fallë: noun. foam (Arya riding horse)
> 
> I named Arya's horse by the colour of their coat, as a didn't want to use Asfaloth, but wanted to follow a similar theme.  
I didn't want to repeat Arya's tale two times, so I've tried to make it different, also Gil-galad is interested in some different things than Arya's family.
> 
> Also, I almost had a scare when I realized that I hadn't checked Fingolfin's death and Gil-galad birth to make sure they overlapped. They do!! Buff, I have read several stories with both of them and took by granted that Fingolfin had met his grandchild.  
As before, I "borrowed" Fingon nickname as Finno from several sources, if anyone knows who is the original inventor of the term, I will give them full credit.
> 
> I was doubting if "reveal" Arya's past and name here to Gil-galad or further on but I decided that waiting more was too forced. I don't particularly like those stories where something like this gets drag on through the whole story, by progressively more ridiculous plots.
> 
> I'm taking the decision of making Elves culture advanced in woman's rights. I think Galadriel, Melian, Luthien and Arwen, to mention a few, show that they had strength and commanded as much respect as a man. I read that the Elvish Customs make sex equivalent to marriage, but I found this a little unrealistic for a people who live forever and if I can accept that once you find the one, it is the one for you forever, ok. I can't go for it in the time before. So with both of this in mind, I'm making their relationship as one you could have nowadays, where you can sleep together without automatic marriage and a woman can sleep with a man without being thought to be a loose woman.


	10. Dodging the storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
"I am here and real, my lord. I can assure you that I would make a poor spectre and most definitely wouldn't choose you to haunt if I were to come back as one, if we elves actually could take that form which I doubt" - Arya seemed to get slightly sidetracked at this thought and continued musingly - "I would probably stalk my cousin _Makalaurë_, the idiot." - she concluded firmly.  

> 
> Arya is now fully embracing her fate and literally embracing her King. Things are getting settled at their rightful places even without the chesspieces knowing it, Arya may be able to accept this as long as Gil-galad cames with it. 

After leaving her things at the bedroom, they went back to the main rooms of the castle, trying to make sure that everyone arrived safely and got settled down. With so many people in a smaller space than usual, adding to that those residents of the castle and the town evacuates, it was bound to become an interesting challenge to keep everyone calm and away from trouble. Arya and the King separated at the hall to their duties.

Arya found her siblings at the ballroom, sitting in one of the tables shoved at the back, eating some kind of soup that was being served by the castle's kitchens. That gave Arya a pause and, after squeezing her siblings, she started to track down some of the caravan's staff, people whose work was to the common wellbeing of the caravan such as the guards, kitchen's workers, stable boys and the like. Concretely, she wanted to find someone in charge of the supplies, so they could add their stock to the palace to both reduce the pressure the castle kitchens would suffer from the increased members, and also to keep it safer and not lose anything perishable. After tracking down two men and an elf in charge of those carts, and speaking to Thallan who was coordinating the arrivals, she managed to leave them with some of the castle staff to move the provisions into the castle storage. They promised to store the non-perishable safely so they could take it back when leaving and use the perishable. Happy with this solution, Arya noticed the King at the courtyard at that moment, he and his companion spied her at the same time, and the King's companion dropped his jaw at seeing her. Arya neared cautiously:

"_Suilad_, Lord Cirdan, it has been a long time" - said the blonde, looking to the ship-maker tentatively.

"Lady Glorfindel? Is that you? How is this possible? We thought you lost to us" - said the mariner stuttering.

Gil-galad, never having seen his foster father this disturbed, stayed close to him and lead him to a small seat near the entrance of the stables and away from the bustle of the still arriving people. Arya, surprised by the strength of the reaction from an elf she had known at passing before leaving for Gondolin, kneeled before him and took hold of his hands in comfort. After a few moments of the old elf composing himself, he looked to the blonde in wonder and took back one of his hands to touch her face as trying to convince himself of her being really there. 

"You are real, not a spectre from the past" - he said touching her head lightly and her trademark golden hair. 

"I am here and real, my lord. I can assure you that I would make a poor spectre and most definitely wouldn't choose you to haunt if I were to come back as one, if we elves actually could take that form which I doubt" - Arya seemed to get slightly sidetracked at this thought and continued musingly - "I would probably stalk my cousin _Makalaurë_, the idiot." - she concluded firmly.

"That certainly sounds like you, I remember how you and your cousins teased and poked each other. And you and Lord Fingon were the only ones who still treated the Fëanorions as family, and they to you" - said Cirdan now more composed while the reality of the situation seemed to seep through. Gil-galad who had been looking from one another, intervene at that moment

"You knew each other?" - asked the King.

"We crossed path a few times, uncle Fingolfin sent me with messages sometimes when he wanted to impress the importance of his petitions, or when he needed an agent who could make decisions in situ." - answered Arya. Cirdan, now calmer insisted in his questions.

"But how are you here and alive? There were witness of your fall and Thorondor bore your body back from the abysm" - he asked

"I was dead, and then I awoke back here. I can't tell you more because I know little else" - answered back the blonde. Cirdan seemed to take this in.

"You must have been send back to help. Something this extraordinary can't happen by chance" - the mariner said, pensive

"You think? I have not been told anything at all, and I'm only an elf my Lord, and not one of the greatest. I can't think how I could make the difference for anyone here. I have already made the ultimate sacrifice for my King, and I don't believe that something like that will happen again anytime soon. And I certainly don't want to have to make that decision again" - said Arya getting progressively more restless.

"And I don't ever want for you to make that sacrifice again, my heart couldn't take it" - intercede the King at that moment, feeling that needed to be said. Cirdan looked at his foster son remembering at that moment the small signs he had gotten from him and his fascination with a blonde violinist. Looking back to Arya, he seemed to make the connection. The Vanya, who had been watching the process looked back at him smiling sheepishly. Gil-galad seemed to realize what he just said and in front of whom and blushed a bit, but looking towards Arya and seeing her smiling if also a bit embarrassed like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, he felt relieved. He took then Arya's hand and drew her to his side to confront his foster father as a unit. 

"You asked me to introduce you the _elleth_ I had met, This is Arya, _Aryantë_ also known as Glorfindel, daughter of Lalwen, and princess of the Noldor, I think you have met" - the King reintroduced her to his foster father.

"We have, and I've always held you in the highest esteem, my lady. I'm happy for you and Ereinion to have met each other, and I'm sure Lord Fingon would have been also" - said the bearded elf, bringing both elves closer and kissing their foreheads in blessing. Arya, thankful for the paternal acceptance, couldn't help to insert anyway:

"Well, Finno may have chased me away from his much younger son" - she said impishly. Gil-galad laughed at that image. That out of the way, Arya asked the ship-maker for the reason of his presence at the castle, the old elf looked grave at this and said.

"This temporal is going to hit hard at the coast. We have anchored the vessels as safely as we can but we will have some damage to them. It may delay the men departure." - said Cirdan gravelly.

"It is what it is, we have done all we can and we can only wait now until it passes. The winds are picking up already and it smells like rain, it won't be long" - said the King, and as it was being called by his words, the clouds started to unload their rain, strongly. Those on the courtyard rushed into the palace, Arya looked around to see if everyone on the caravan had made it safely to the palace before the storm. She saw her foster parents at the entrance of the ballroom and felt relieved.

* * *

Arya and Gil-galad entered in the bedroom. The storm was hitting strongly at the outside, but they were safe inside the stone walls. Arya took a moment to think of their Sindar kind who disdained the dwellings of stone, wondering if they were safe. Gil-galad had entered after her and closed the bedroom door firmly. Arya walked to the centre of the room and looked around with curiosity, as she had been rushing when she dropped her things before. The room was spacious but homely, with wooden floors covered with carpets. A big fireplace sat at the left between two balconies which usually gave plenty of light, and at the right were the doors leading to the walking closet and the bathroom respectively. Behind them, they had entered the bedroom from the sitting room through two beautiful and elaborated doors which Gil-galad had just closed. Arya gave a full spin looking until she ended facing in the King direction, who had been patiently watching her to explore his inner sanctum. Once she looked at him however, he came closer and took the chance to kiss her thoroughly, Arya answered back his kiss with her own passion. After a few moments, the King managed to tear himself away from the blonde and looking down to her asked

"This is going to sound terribly cliché, but we have been rushing around from one place to another all day. Do you want something to eat or drink? Or just sleep? We don't have to rush anything" - said the King badly wanting to take her straight to bed but willing to wait. Arya, however, was not going to make this harder for both of them by posing as a blushing virgin although, as she had technically being re-embodied, she may as well be.

"I'm tired and I want many things, but most can wait for later. Now, I've been waiting to try that bed for a while" - smiled the blonde, while walking backwards to the bed steering Gil-galad with her. He follow her willingly, however, when they reached the bed and he lowered her into it, she put her hand on his mouth before he started to kiss her again

"You will need to take your time as I have been technically born again, but besides that, I am all yours" - said the beautiful Vanya. Gil-galad felt a guilty rush at that confession, being the first to touch her like this in this body, and went back to kiss her. 

Arya kissed him back, putting her arms around him and pressing him on top of her firmly, wanting to feel his weight and the feeling of him surrounding her. Gil-galad settled on top of her, with both of his arms resting at every side of her to take some of his weight. He started to explore her neck with his mouth, kissing her at the hollow of her throat and lower, he found the neckline of her dress quickly. As usual, Arya was wearing a riding dress which was comfortable and convenient for her but now it would be harder to take off. Not someone to be defeated by a dress, Gil-galad started to undo the ties at her back until he released her upper body from the bodice, and taking advantage of the loosed dress, continued going lower with his mouth, fascinated by the golden glow in the skin of the Vanya. Reaching one of her breasts, he cupped it softly with his hand and caressed her nipple with his thumb, making her gasp and arch her back, oversensitive in this remade body. Gil-galad smiled at the reaction and took his mouth to it starting by kissing it and then sucking softly on it, Arya grabbed hold of his head not knowing if drag him away or pull him closer. Deciding that this was getting a bit one-sided, she pulled him up and held her hand to his chest to release him from his jacket and shirt. Gil-galad helped her out with this and got rid of both, Arya also took advantage of the space to fully release herself from the dress and boots, keeping only the loosened chemise. Before she could decide if taking it off, Gil-galad, who had also got rid of his boots and breeches, staying only in his braies, lowered himself back to the bed and started to get his hands underneath the garment from below. He caressed the top of her legs, raising the garment until he reached her stomach and then again her breasts getting it past her head and throwing it away. Now fully naked, Gil-galad took advantage to look her at her full glory. Slim and tall, and golden all over in skin and hair, she looked like a gift from the Valar and he said that out loud, Arya chuckled at this and said

"Then we are a gift for each other. And that's the reason I have been send back here, because we wouldn't have met like this otherwise" - said Arya smiling to the King, tall with his wild black hair inhered from his father and his silver eyes so intent and kind. His body was that of a warrior, strong, with the broad shoulders of a swordsman. Looking down his body she was able to see the effect she was having on him. Arya felt her mouth go dry. Putting both of her hands on his chest, she caressed his muscled torso and after a few moments of enjoying it, started to go lower. Lowering his underclothes with her movement, until they were both naked, she paused for a moment. They looked at each other, and from a moment to the next, close all possible distance until there was no longer two for a long time.

* * *

Arya refocused her eyes in the early morning daylight, or what it passed as sunlight as the storm was still going strong at the outside. She was in an unfamiliar room, lying on her side in a big bed. Remembering last night events, she stayed quiet, feeling the body of Gil warm and flushed behind her. However quiet she had been, Gil-galad must have felt her arise because he moved to surround her with his arms and kissed her nape. Arya reached back to him and turning her head, offered him a loving kiss, which was readily accepted by the other. After that first kiss, Arya turned back, getting face to face with Gil-galad, both in their sides, and caressed his face moving his wild hair back from where it was trying to invade everywhere. Arya smiled at this remembering fondly another elf with similar troubles.

"I know what you are thinking" - said the King, smiling helplessly back - "My father said that he was teased as a child for his wild hair until he started to braid it in his customary way"

"It is true, _Tyelko_ and _Curvo_ were terribly unkind to him, until _Maitimo_ took him one day away and they both disappeared for a whole evening. When they came back, he had his gold braids and he always kept weaving his hair like that as long as I knew him, even at the Ice" - mused the blonde, wondering how Finno may had felt when plaiting his hair in the Ice, or if he no longer associated it to the redhead.

Gil-galad caressed her hair in kind with a smile and said. 

"Your hair, on the other hand, is wonderful even in disorder" - laughed the dark-haired elf. 

Arya rolled her eyes, knowing that her hair was also a mess. She took a look around wondering if she had the time to bath before they needed to return to the outside world. Reading her mind, the King raised from the bed and picked her up between laughs leading her into the bathroom. The room was luxurious, having a huge low bathtub shaped like a small pool in the centre of the room. Gil-galad settled on a small bench at the side and started to open the faucets to prepared them a bath. The tube filled slowly and he took the time to call for some food after putting on a robe. By the time he returned, the tube was enough full for Arya to lower herself on the water, gratefully allowing it to soothe any sore parts. Once fully inside, she submerged her hair also, and went into one of the carved sunk benches at one side. Resting there, she allowed herself to close her eyes and recline back in happiness.

"I think you like this place as much as you like me" - teased the King when he returned, happy of seeing her so relaxed, and taking off his robe again, he joined her in the tub, fully immersing himself and settling next to her. Arya burrow against him when he reached her and said

"It's a fair fight between the two, I will tell you where you stand someday" - laughed the blonde, closing her eyes again, after enjoying the sight of him entering the tub.

Gil-galad laughed at this, and taking a small sponge started to carefully wash her. Once she was fully cleaned, and while she was rinsing herself, he washed himself up and turned again towards her. Arya was unbraiding her hair and using her fingers to finger comb her hair before starting to washing it. Gil-galad enjoyed the view for the next few minutes until he also started to wash his own hair, much more unruly. They both finished their shared bath with teasing looks and touches but without fully engaging in anything they wouldn't be able to finish, both fully aware of all the problems waiting for them. That was something else Gil-galad loved about Arya who, well aware of the King's responsibilities besides the privileges, didn't expect from him to drop all his responsibilities to be only with her, and furthermore, she was fully capable and ready to shoulder a part of them. He could kiss her only for that and he actually could, so he did. She looked at him inquiringly at this but he only smiled and pass her his robe, taking a towel to cover himself.

They stepped out of the bathroom into the now tidy bedroom, Arya blushed a bit thinking of the streaming of clothes they had left behind. She went to the seat before the fireplace to brush and braid her still wet hair. Gil-galad who had braided his at the bathroom, dressed into his formal robes and stepped outside to the sitting room where a full breakfast was set. He prepared the tea while Arya finished to dress and they seated to eat. Arya looked outside while drinking her tea and asked

"Do you know the damage yet? It seems like it's still raining although less than yesterday and the winds have calmed somehow" - she commented looking at the window getting hit by the rain.

"Thallan said that the river overflow and, apparently, the coastal towns have been hit hard, but that's only what we can gather from here. We didn't want to risk any scouts as we wouldn't be able to send any help until the storm is passed anyway" - answered the King

They finished their breakfast and got ready to face the outside world. Before they stepped outside, Gil-galad took hold of one of her hands and turned her towards him. 

"I don't want you to think that this is something passing to me. We need to go outside and see how everybody is holding up but we haven't gotten the time to talk about last night, know that this is it for me and I hope that you feel the same" - said the King looking into her eyes. Arya smiled at this and said.

"This is it for me too. I don't need any other declaration, I am yours and you are mine, and you better take it into account from now on" - said the blonde with a smile but serious as death. The King kissed her hand and said, formally

"So be it"

With that, they both stepped outside the bedroom to their duties.

* * *

Gil-galad looked around to his councillors, they seemed to be divided between the ones who wanted to argue about the flowing and the damaged towns and the ones who wished to enquire in his personal life, or maybe between the ones who dared to inquire in his personal life. Gil-galad wasn't naive, he knew that his choice of partner had repercussions on the realm for good or evil and even worse if that partner had the potential to become his consort. With that in mind he tried to be patient, knowing that, from most of them, their worry stemmed from a genuine desire for the good of the realm if not his happiness. Lord Rhanaer seemed the one daring enough to speak his mind:

"Your Majesty, it's not that we don't want you to be happy. It's only that it had happened so fast and we don't wish for you to be taken advantage from someone who would... " -the elf trailed off unable to continue without insulting the own King's mother, Gil-galad finished for him 

"Try to tie me down, maybe by getting pregnant? Because that's a situation someone like me wouldn't expect I suppose as I have so little experience in life" - ended the King dryly, and continued - "For your peace of mind, and because we have enough problems without you focusing in this one, Arya have given me permission to tell you a few things about her past. Know that her identity has been confirmed by Lord Cirdan" - he added, looking towards the councillors, after a few moments of silence he said - "Arya's name is a nickname of her mother-name, but she was better known at the First Age by another appellative, that went into history: Glorfindel." - concluded the King, and waited for the reaction. The silence was absolute, all around him the other elves were looking shocked, even Elrond was looking speechless. After a few moments it was him who started to talk

"Glorfindel? The one Glorfindel who fought a Barlog and died at the fall of Gondolin allowing my grandparents and my father to escape?" - asked the half-elf incredulous, he would have been fully rejecting this if it had come from any other source.

"The very same, and before you ask, none of us knows why or how she has been send back, she appeared here with no memory since her death and no instructions from anyone" - anticipated the King. The looks around him started to turn from incredulity to awe, Gil-galad took advantage of this, trying to end this discussion as soon as possible.

"As you can see, she is barely the fortune hunter type, and while nothing in this life is certain, I trust her heart as it has been shown to be true." - concluded the King, with that he signalled for the next topic to be brought up, not leaving space for any further questioning of his private life. Arya seemed to find all this terribly amusing when they reunited for midday meal at his private rooms, giving that the common rooms were invaded by the caravan.

"So, now instead of a gold digger, I am back to return hope to the elves in Middle Earth?" - concluded the blonde laughing.

"More or less" - answered Elrond, who had invited himself back with Gil-galad to formally meet his family saviour. Arya had hugged him as an answer to his grateful bow, not wanting any thanks of her friends' descendant.

"It is an improvement... probably" - said the King, starting to feel amused also, now he was away from prying eyes, and added - "I hope you realize that this will be all over the realm before the storm is over". Arya shook her head at this, and said

"I am aware. I abandoned any idea of anonymity when I got involved with you, this is the least of it" - said the blonde, resigned. And then brightened -"On the positive side now I have access to your music room and the library"- she smiled teasingly. Both Elrond and Gil-galad laughed at this. The lunch continued like this, and Arya promised Elrond to go with him after it, to talk to his brother, who had been busy with the damage to the Fleet but wanted to meet her also.

* * *

Arya looked to her foster family sadly at the news, but unsurprised. The leaders of the caravan had been talking of their future decisions and what to do after the storm passed fully. It was clear that the towns and people surrounding the castle would be busy reconstructing to find any value in the caravan's entertainments. Also, they needed to rebuild as well and they couldn't do it without supplies and funds. So, they had decided to move the caravan further south to Harlindon at the very least. They would be leaving at the morning, Arya smiled through her tears and hugged Faelyn and Gwedhil strongly, knowing that it would be long before she saw them again. They had decided to make their farewells here and now, and avoid any kind of scene in the morning.

"You will write" - ordered the young _elleth_ \- "You need to keep us updated as to how your King is treating you, so we can come to beat him up if he doesn't treat you right". Arya laughed at this and nodded without talking. Aegloss and Maeroniel both hugged and kiss her on both her cheeks and her forehead in blessing, Maeroniel took her hand and said

"You are our daughter, anytime you need something or if things don't work here as you expect, you come to us" - said the Sinda. Arya assented to her

"I know and I will, and the same goes for you. You are my family, you can always count on me for anything, you know where to find me" - said the blonde.

After a few more hugs and tears, the family finally went their divided paths, Arya went back to the King's rooms and Gil-galad hugged her strongly, grieving for her but also happy that she was staying as he didn't know what he would have done otherwise. He took her to bed and made love to her. After, he kept her close all night, and Arya stayed happily in his arms, feeling safe and loved as she haven't feel since she left Aman. At the morning she saw the caravan's departure from the balcony of the King's rooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Tyelko_: Celegorn, Feanor third son  
_Curvo_: Curufinwe, Feanor fifth son  
Harlindon: south Lindon  
So, the things have gotten pretty heated to this couple. I have raised the warnings to Mature, I don't think I need to go to explicit but if anyone feels different I will change it.
> 
> This is coming to an end, I love this story, and Arya's and Gil-galad relationship, and I want to write more in it but I think I can finish this plot in one or two chapters and maybe change this into a series for the next plot. Maybe going further on time when they are more settled as a couple. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Any ideas would be welcomed :)
> 
> On another note, nothing to do with this, I've published a small vignette of a Legolas/Elrond story. If any of you have interest in reading it. Feedback is welcome both for this and that one. Thank you all


	11. The chessboard is set

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
"It will show itself when the times comes. You haven't lost it, it's within you. There is still evil at Middle Earth, to my shame some of my siblings who joined Melkor at his evil, have not repented and dwell still in Middle Earth. The Valar can not force them back, but they have sent the help they can. You are one of those tools, the way of your death, your bravery, allow them the excuse to reward you." - said Eönwë cryptically.  

> 
> Arya and Gil-galad found a few answers and many more questions from the Valar, as expected. What is clear is that the calm is just skin-deep and soon they will need to be ready for the worst. So they better take advantage of this calm while it lasts. 

Arya looked around Naatheas grieved but not surprised, with her were the young couple she had given a ride the day of the evacuation Alphel and Cairon, their little boy had stayed at the castle until they knew what was left of their home, if anything. Given the state of the town and taking into account that their house had been at the very coast, Arya hold little hope to anything at their home being intact if the dwelling itself still remained in place, instead of being in the bottom of the sea.

From her advantage point at the top of the hill, where Alphel and Cairon had their house, she spied Gil-galad down below at the town port, talking to the town Mayor and taking a look to the devastation of their harbour and the ships anchored at it. Alphel and Cairon got at that moment within the sight of their home, and started to run towards it. As Arya had expected, the building was barely standing with only two of the walls still intact and the other two and the roof blown away. 

One of the King's specialists who had accompanied them to the town, hold back the couple from entering the building, fearing for their safety in the unstable structure. Two of the King's guards, shielded with helmets and light armour, entered the house under the watchful looks of the others and started to recover as much as they could. It wasn't much, Gil-galad would need to fund the reconstruction of those houses if they wanted the people to recover from this. Arya kept going further on the town, making note of the devastation, most of the buildings weren't as bad off as those on the first line of the coast, but it was rare to find one with the fourth walls standing up, and a whole roof on top. And those were elven buildings, Arya could imagine that the Man towns were probably vanished. Arya reached at least the east side of the hill, who faced the mouth of the river and where she could discern Mithlond and the Numenorean Fleet. It didn't look as bad as they had expected, the ships had been made by expert mariners and ship-makers with the best materials at their disposition. Some of the sails were damaged and even a few masts, but it was easily fixable. Arya was impressed by Cirdan's people.

While she was standing there at the bluff, someone came close to her. Even without turning around she knew who expect at her back. That kind of presence was unique at Middle Earth, and she had not felt its like in a while, although she had felt his opposite just before her death.

"_Suillad hir nin_" - said the blonde

"Laisi" - said the Maia, reaching her and stopping next to her. Arya turned to look at him. He hadn't changed, very tall and muscular, with silver hair that grew past his waist and the most striking violet eyes she had ever seen. She couldn't remember seeing that shade on anyone else, and had been fascinated with them as a child, trying to replicate it with her paintings in her painter period. Eönwë was looking at her also, seemingly pleased, Arya stayed silent leaving to him to start the conversation as he had the one who had searched her up.

"I knew you had been sent back but I'm still so gratified to see you here" - said the Maia, Arya looked surprised at this.

"I would have thought that you would have been satisfied never to see any of us ever again" - said the blonde, with an air of melancholy

"Never so, I knew your soul Laisi, and know that you would have never harmed another elf except on self-defence. I know you didn't participate at the Kinslaying at Alqualonde, and I know you left only because of your family" - he concluded. Arya smiled at this, but disputed it

"I didn't participate at the Kinslaying, that is true, I arrived too late anyway, I don't know what I would have done if I had arrived as Finno did, when the fight was at full tilt and seeing my family being attacked without having any context" - she said gently but firmly, not wanting excuses for her actions.

"You showed your true heart at Gondolin, when you sacrificed yourself for those innocents in your charge, including Tuor, Idril and Eëarendil" - insisted the Maia.

"Thank you"- ceded the blonde, looking down blushing, but she didn't lose the opportunity given to her and continued - "Was that the reason I was sent back? As a reward for saving their lives?" - asked then to the Maia

"No. I didn't agree with your coming back here. The Valar indeed found you valiant and true-hearted after seeing your actions at the pass, and that's the reason you were released from Mandos, but they send you back here because they need you here, to help with the incoming darkness" - said Eönwë visibly worried and bothered. Arya seemed surprised by this news, so Cirdan had been right, she had been sent back to help those remaining at Middle Earth, it still not made any sense to her, and so she said him.

"I don't want to impeach the wisdom of the Valar.. again anyway, but send me back to help with the incoming darkness? I am only an elf, I admittedly killed a Balrog but it killed me in return, Ecthelion killed four and was only killed himself by the last one who happened to be their king. Would he have not been a better choice if you needed a warrior to help with the incoming darkness? is it that the reason you objected to me being here?" - asked the blonde. 

"I opposed to you being here because I believe you had more than paid for anything you had to do with the rebellion, and you deserve to be safe back home and have no further damage come to you from Melkor malice. You are a great warrior and have a good soul, Ecthelion would have been a good choice but they need something from you that it has not been explained to me" - said the herald.

"I'm not surprised that, if anyone was to be sent back, it would be Arya" - said a voice from behind them, Gil-galad had seen them from distance and went to Arya immediately, partially because he wanted to support her in her questions and hear the answers himself, partly because there was a small bit of jealousy in him as he had heard in Arya's voice the fascination she had held, as young, for the Maia. Once he reached them, that possessiveness had grown stronger as he could see Eönwë's reaction to the blonde. Eönwë, who had seemed in the past, to Gil-galad at least, cold, unfeeling and impervious to the world, had looked in the few minutes he had seen him with Arya, angry, frustrated, pleased... a broader range of emotions than he had ever expected him to have. It was quite telling in the King's personal opinion. 

Arya turned to him, pleased with his presence as Eönwë had been making her exasperated with his hints and contradictory statements. She had managed to forget how frustrating was to talk with the Powers. Sometimes she thought that half of the reasons for their rebellion had been to run away from their obscure words. When he reached her, his face soften of his serious look once he noted her pleasure at seeing him, realizing that whatever feelings Eönwë may have, they weren't reciprocated. He reached her side and putting her arm around her kissed her forehead lovingly in greeting. Looking towards Eönwë, who had returned to his disinterested look, he touched his hand to his chest in signal of respect for the herald. Eönwë returned the gesture to the High King.

"I wasn't an accident or chance that you were the one sent back Laisi, you have the potential of greatness and you have already reached in many ways. Also, the Valar send you with their blessing." -said the Maia, turning away from the couple and looking West.

"With their blessing?" - asked Gil-galad, hearing something strange in that turn of phrase. Looking down to Arya he mouthed "Laisi?"

"The Valar's blessing is not a turn of phrase, it is usually a gift of something, but I didn't have anything with me when I woke here. I didn't lose it, did I?" - asked the blonde worried. She shrugged to the childhood nickname.

"It will show itself when the times comes. You haven't lost it, it's within you. There is still evil at Middle Earth, to my shame, some of my siblings who joined Melkor at his crime, have not repented and dwell still in Middle Earth. The Valar can not force them back, but they have sent the help they can. You are one of those devices, the way of your death, your bravery, allowed them the excuse to reward you." - said Eönwë cryptically. And giving the conversation as concluded he reached for Arya holding his hand in offer. Arya looked helplessly to Gil-galad and letting go of him, took the hand extended to her. Eönwë drew her towards him and putting his hands on her shoulders gave her the traditional farewell blessing, kissing both of her cheeks and forehead. After that, bowing farewell to the King, he went away to his duties.

Arya and Gil-galad looked to each other disconcerted with the abrupt departure and ominous words.

"I don't know if that brought me more questions than answers" - commented the blonde disconcerted.

"I think that it means that there is danger coming, and you will know what you have been given when it comes, it's up to you to decide how to use it" - concluded the King.

"So, we are on our own" - said Arya. The King nodded, and both of them walked away back to the town.

* * *

"So this is it" - said Elrond neutrally.

"Yes" - answered back the King, kindly. They were at his private rooms, where Gil-galad had called Elros and Elrond to inform them that the Fleet was completed and prepared to depart with most of the supplies inside or being loaded up at that very moment. The twins looked to each other helplessly, with a grief beyond description starting to show in their faces. Gil-galad, not unsympathetic to it, but aware that time couldn't be stopped, advised:

"You should start to get ready, we will need to leave in three days for Mithlond for you to start your voyage" - said the King looking towards Elros. The older twin nodded his head and Elrond visibly tried to compose himself. Arya, who had been standing to the side, now came closer to both twins. In the last few months that she had been staying at the palace, she had tried to make a relationship with both twins. For their part, both perendhil had been fascinated to meet a living legend came back to life, who had influenced their lives so much, as her sacrificed had allowed them to be born. They had used the time they had to try and make as much of a relationship as they could. Arya had started to love them as little brothers and for the twins, she was the first female influence they had trusted since they lost their mother, and had started to go to her for comfort as the date for departure got closer. Arya went to both twins now and without a word of pity or sympathy, hug both of them to herself. The twins went willingly in her arms and hide their faces in each of her shoulders. Gil-galad raised from his seat and went also to them, being higher than all of them he was able to hug them all to his chest, they stayed like that for a long time. 

"I would ask a boon from you" - said the older twin, releasing them and stepping back from the embrace. They all returned to their seats, Arya and Gil-galad at the loveseat, Elrond and Elros at the small armchairs in front of it.

"Of course, if it is in my hand to give it to you" - answered the King.

"I would ask you to reach out for my people. Don't let them lose our heritage, to forget my ancestors, my parents, my brother" - asked Elros.

"As long as we are here, they will remember it" - promised Arya, taking Gil-galad's hand. 

"I would have liked to see you two bond" - teased the twin trying to lighten the ambient. Both King and Vanya looked at each other abashed. With a nod from the King, Arya then, reached inside his neckline for the chain hidden there and drew a ring from it, showing it to the twins and said:

"We didn't want to draw the attention away from the two of you, but Ereinion has asked me to bond" - announced the blonde. The twins happily congratulate the two of them kissing the soon to be bride as it was custom on the Men, or so Elros claimed with a smile. Gil-galad allowed it with tolerance but drew her back as soon as he could, Arya rolled her eyes to the small jealousy, amused.

"I know that the custom is to wait a year for the bonding, and you being a King will make this marriage a matter of state, but would it be possible to have a small ceremony only for family? And then Elros could assist" - questioned Arya to the King. Gil-galad looked at her fondly, loving her kind heart, and thinking about it responded.

"I think we could concoct something small, we can say it is a farewell celebration for Elros, just for the family and invite Galadriel and Celebrimbor, they are already invited for the Fleet departure" - said the King thoughtfully, already making plans. Arya started a bit at the names, having forgotten that her cousins were still alive. Elrond and Elros applauded the idea, both for the celebration itself and as something which would keep them distracted of what it would come after.

* * *

"I can only believe it because you are in front of me. Did you escape from the Halls?, and if so, are there any others like you around?. There is a few that I wouldn't want to cross paths with again" - said the statuesque blonde, looking to her cousin

"I can't believe you let yourself be knocked up by anyone, I thought that you planned to conquer Middle Earth one town at a time, and you wouldn't leave family or love to stop you. And don't worry as far as I know it's a one elf deal, our Fëanorian cousins are still in Mandos, or will be resurrected at Aman" - answered back Arya irreverently. Gil-galad was too royal to be open-mouthed to their interaction, but Elrond and Elros weren't and they were struggling between being horrified or falling over laughing.

Both blondes hugged each other laughing, and started to talk in Quenya, they had been talking in Sindarin out of politeness of their companions but they were used to interact in their native tongue. Gil-galad took the chance then to welcome Celeborn, who had been looking at the side, so far, seeming amused of his wife, well used to her personality and glad to find someone on her family able to keep up with her. A non-murderously one at least.

"_Mae g'ovannen!_" - greeted the King to the Sinda Lord.

"_Mae g'ovannen!_, Sire" - greeted back, ignoring his wife and her cousin whispering behind him. Gil-galad, however, had inhered from his father a great deal less of patience and cleared his throat to his partner. Arya looked back sheepishly and went back next to the King to be introduced to her cousin-in-law.

"Arya, this is Lord Celegorn of Doriath. And your cousin's husband" - introduced the King. Arya smiled to him and the King continued - "Lord Celeborn, this is Lady Glorfindel of Gondolin, now from Lindon and my fiancée". Arya went then to give the traditional two kisses used between family members instead of the bow, ignoring her cousins surprised exclamation. Galadriel didn't allow herself to be ignored long.

"Fiancée? You are getting married? I thought that the fact you haven't married so far was that you had seen sense and was running away from the Noldor non-sense and looking for a nice Sinda. You have gotten to a good start with a half-Sinda but I'm sure we can find a full one to your taste" - said Finarfin's daughter half-joking. Gil-galad decided to crush any chance of she being actually serious.

"Actually, we invited you here a bit early, not only to bid Elros farewell in private but for a small private ceremony we are having as a family" - announced the King, picking Arya's hand and putting it under his arm after kissing it. Galadriel and Celeborn looked to each other surprised by the news and congratulate them. While it wasn't done a lot it wasn't that weird in positions such as theirs to have a different previous private ceremony beside the full official affair.

"We will be honour to be there then, and give our blessings to your union, who else will be there?" - asked Galadriel, Arya and Gil-galad looked to each other relieved, happy of having at least a bit of family happy for them and answered.

"Elrond and Elros will be there, and we have invited Celebrimbor but I don't know if our message will reach him" - said the King. Galadriel and Celeborn looked to each other, but not knowing where their cousin were located, they couldn't say anything. The four of them entered the palace to get ready for the ceremony.

* * *

They were standing around a beautiful stand, Celegorn was presiding the ceremony. Galadriel standing for her cousin and Elrond and Elros for the King. Arya and Gil-galad were in the centre facing each other and holding hands. Gil-galad was in full regalia, in the colours of his house blue and silver. Arya, also showing her house's colours, wore a beautiful gold and white dress, full length with her hair loose except for a silver adornment, as a tiara but much more delicate which encircled her head and mixed with her golden hair with small pendant adornments. Celegorn started the ceremony

"Your Majesty, my lady, honoured guests" - started Celegorn formally and continued. 

"We are gathered together here to join Ereinion Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor and grandson of High King Fingolfin, and Princess Glorfindel Aryantë, granddaughter of King Finwë and King Ingwë, late of Gondolin, now from Lindon in the union of marriage.  
This bond is not to be entered into lightly, but thoughtfully and seriously, and with a deep realization of its obligations and responsibilities.

The groom and bride have each prepared vows that they will read now." - he looked towards the King. Gil-galad looked to Arya and said:

"Arya, from the first time I saw you, I knew you were the one for me. I am unbelievably lucky that you were returned to us and that our paths crossed here. You are beautiful and talented, and you have brought to my life a passion for life and a soul so bright that I can barely believe that it can exist in Middle Earth. It is my solemn vow that I will bound my _fëa_ to you from this day until the world is remade and to the next, that I will always love you and that I will wait for you and find you beyond if we are ever parted" - declared the King. Celeborn indicate Arya to take her turn:

"Ereinion, I have been in this world uncountable days. As a warrior and an embassy for Kings, I have talk, met and dinner with many soldiers, farmers, fishers" - Gil-galad smiled at that, having been told the fisher-elf tale - "Lords and Kings of men and Elves, but none of them have made me felt as you have. I had lost any hope of finding you long before the Balrog dragged me with him to the abysm. Now I know that, whatever the Valar want from me this time around, you are what I want for myself. With your selflessness, your kindness, your strength and the hope you carry to all of us. You are the one for me. I vow to you to bound my _fëa_ to you from this day until the world is remade and to the next, to always be there for you, to love you and share your burdens as they are mine. I will always find you in this world or any other." - concluded the Vanya.

Celeborn cleared his throat of any tears, and say:   
"And now: Your Majesty Ereinion Gil-galad, do you take Princess Glorfindel to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honour, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, and holding only unto her forevermore?"

“I do.” - said the King, firmly  
"And Princess Glorfindel, do you take King Ereinion Gil-galad to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honour, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others, and holding only unto him forevermore?"  
“I do.” - nodded Arya.

Celborn nodded and then continued:   
"King Ereinion Gil-galad and Princess Glorfindel will now exchange rings as a symbol of love and commitment to each other. Your wedding ring is a circle—a symbol of love never-ending. It is the seal of the vows you have just taken to love each other without end. King Ereinion Gil-galad, please place the ring on Princess Glorfindel's left hand and repeat after me:

As a sign of my love"  
“As a sign of my love”   
"That I have chosen you"  
"That I have chosen you”  
"Above all else"  
“Above all else”  
"With this ring, I thee wed."  
“With this ring, I thee wed.” - and Elrond passed the ring to the King, Gil-galad slid the ring into Arya's left-hand finger.

"And Princess Glorfindel, please place the ring on King Ereinion Gil-galad's left hand and repeat after me: As a sign of my love" - continued Celeborn turning to Arya  
“As a sign of my love”  
"That I have chosen you"  
"That I have chosen you”  
"Above all else"  
“Above all else”  
"With this ring, I thee wed."  
“With this ring, I thee wed.” - and Arya took the ring from Galadriel and taking Gil-galad left hand, slid it in his finger. Celeborn concluded the ceremony

"And now by the power vested in me by the Valar and your families, it is my honour and delight to declare you married. Go forth and live each day to the fullest. You may seal this declaration with a kiss." - concluded the ceremony. Gil-galad delicately drew Arya to him and kissed passionately. Arya returned the kiss in kind while their witness applauded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Laisi: youth, vigour, new life" short for Laurefindel my own invention this time, I hope it works
> 
> I made Eönwë fascinated with Arya, I found it funny to imagine such a powerful figure impressed by an elf, even one so extraordinary as Glorfindel. I think I read a fic once with Glorfindel / Eönwë pairing but right now it escapes me. I may write one myself the image is tantalizing.
> 
> I know that Arya and Gil-galad getting married so early may be precipitated but I'm following, for once, Tolkien lead with this. Love, at first sight, seems to be something of a theme for him: Luthien and Beren, Arwen and Aragorn, Eowyn and Faramir. He fully believed in it and I followed this with Arya and Gil-galad, they knew from the start they were the one for each other and acted in consequence.
> 
> By the way, I have researched wedding ceremonies and vows at the internet, the ceremony words are re-written of one of those scripts around, I've adapted it to this universe but they are not much changed, so not mine. (https://www.weddingchicks.com/blog/sample-wedding-ceremony-scripts-youll-want-to-borrow-l-16537-l-41.html)
> 
> And with this, this is almost finished, only a chapter to go.


	12. The conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue, and the seeds for the next adventure

Gil-galad and Arya looked to the horizon watching the Numenorean Fleet disappear in it. Behind them, outside of the spotlight, Elrond watched also with a stone-like expression. Galadriel and Celeborn were at both sides of the perendhil, protecting him from the curiosity of others, and giving him as much support as they could, although this parting was one that none of them have any experience.

Cirdan, now freed of the responsibility of the Fleet, stood next his mariners at the other side of the King. The ceremony had gone well, solemn and full of hope and speeches about adventure and the goodwill of the Powers. Eönwë had delivered a gift of a sceptre and a Crown for the new King. Gil-galad had formally given the sword of Narsil, as a legacy for the royal line, although Numenor was supposed to be a land without enemies and Elros a King for a peaceful time. 

Elros had kept a solemn look all through the ceremony. He had given his farewells in private the night before to his brother and both the King and Arya. Whatever he had thought of the ceremony he had kept it for himself, already practising the royal neutral look, even when confronted with Eönwë. His Lords and Ladies surrounded the new King in their best galas, ready for the start of their adventure as it was for the rest of the new Numenoreans. At last, they had marched into the ready vessels and started to leave the harbour, starting by the King's Flagship and taking the path to Numenor, led by Cirdan's mariners. 

Once the flagship had disappeared into the horizon, even by Elven sight, the King and his retinue started to depart the harbour. Arya took hold of Elrond and lead him discreetly away before some courtier or, even worse, Eönwë thought of talking to him. Galadriel and Celeborn joined the King.

"So, that is the end of this tale" - said Celeborn, his wife denied with her head

"It is the beginning, that will be the greatest nation the Men will know. We will be happy to have them as allies at some point" - said the blonde, with a faraway look, and added - "Elros is brave and strong to have taken this path, he will transmit this to his children and they will explore and expand"

"That will be in the future, they will need to settle down first. That will be an adventure by itself I'm sure" - said the King, reaching the horses which would take them back. They mount and started their way back home.

* * *

Arya and Gil-galad were lying on their bed, flushed and warm of making love. Arya had her head on the King's shoulder making paths on his chest with her hand, Gil-galad hug her close with her arm, caressing her back. 

"How was Elrond?" - asked the King to his mate.

"He is still in shock I think. It will be a while until it sinks that Elros is gone forever. It seems unfair that on top of everything they won't be able to see each other again" - said the blonde frustrated by the pain on someone she counted as family.

"I know, I can't find in myself to understand it either. It's unfair and unkind the fate given to them" - said the King brushing her hair from her forehead and kissing her brow. They both settle down after that, aware of how lucky they were with their own happiness. The King continued after a few minutes - "How is your own project anyway, you could recruit Elrond to help you. It will keep him distracted and his intuitions are good" -said the King. 

"That's a good idea. Rehtaro, Erestor and I have been having problems finding the connection of the increase on orcs the last few months. After Eönwë cryptic warning, I'm sure there is an intelligence behind that planning. Not just anyone can turn one of your elves against you and make them spy on you" - said the blonde - "I will talk with him, I'm sure it is important to find this new lieutenant.". After that they both drifted into sleep, the next morning would arrive soon and their duties, lessened as they were by shared would be there waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the end. I could have put it at the previous chapter, but I preferred as a short epilogue. I hope someone out there has enjoyed this. I will keep writing the next part, which I think will be maybe near the forging of the rings? that's one possibility.

**Author's Note:**

> **About myself:** most relevant, this is my first published work, so why after all this time (about 20 years) I'm now trying my hand to write my own story? I fully blame this on keiliss, she doesn't know me of course, but her wonderful work: "Even Quicker Than Doubt" has been in my mind for a long time and it is one of those stories that you re-read from time to time and fully enjoy again. That said, I hope to make an original work and I most definitely will try not to make any outright copy of keiliss work, if you, or she, feels that I've crossed into any kind of plagiarism, please it is the least of my intentions, I would be grateful if you let me know.  
The other source of inspiration for this work, which give me the last push to write this, was Lindsey Stirling, and her amazing youtube videos, concretely "Artemis", I love that video, and when I saw it the first thing that came to my mind was Elf. I've brought this to my tale, my troubadour group will interpret a play with violins and dancing and in my head it is something similar to "Artemis", so I fully give credit for this to her, I didn't think this on my own, if you like it, go to look for her videos, she is amazing. Of course, as part of this group are elves, they will be able to make even harder acrobatics and keep the music going :D
> 
> PS: I wanted to add another source of inspiration for this tale, Two shores of the lake by Lumeriel. I apologize for not having done this before, as I didn't realized that I took Gil-galad's family background from her, instead of keiliss, I'm so sorry. The idea of Gil-galad's mother having drugged Fingon to sleep with him, was took from Lumeriel wonderful work, not keiliss who made Gil-galad son of Oropher. I wanted to apologize also because I thought at the time that this theory was more widely extended or I wouldn't have taken it so freely. I hope she is not offended by my use of it. 
> 
> **English is not my first language:** so there, I don't know how readable will this be, I will be very thankful of any constructive criticism made by anyone who bothers to read this (by this I meant anything more precise than "you can't write") if you feel like using your time trying to help me to improve my writing or this story, I will be very grateful and will try to take the criticism in good grace. That said, no flames please, I will ignore that and delete them if I can, so make me and you a kindness and don't bother.
> 
> **About the story:** I want to explain a few things about this, figuring someone besides me read this  
1) Female Glorfindel: as I said before, this is my first work, as I'm female I'm trying to make it as easy as possible so I don't get discouraged before I start and I thought it would be closest to my experience, and therefore easier to write to have a female protagonist and a main M/F relationship. I hope no one gets offended by this, I know a lot of people who read slash feels that change the sex of a character for a story is cheating.  
2) Timeline: this will be set in Lindon at the start of the Second Age, but before Elros leaves for Numenor, mostly because I wanted to have Eönwë available if I need him to explain things (I'm not sure yet) and because I wanted a bit of Elros in this


End file.
